Philippines faces tough task of reducing maternal deaths

Reducing maternal deaths to 52 per 100,000 live births to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target in 2015 will be an uphill climb for the Philippines, a senior government official said Thursday. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said achieving the target with only 388 days left before the MDG deadline of 2015 is a "daunting challenge." "A lot still remains to be undertaken to achieve the target of decreasing the maternal mortality ratio to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births," said Balisacan in his speech during the opening of a workshop on accelerating MDG achievement. Based on government data, maternal mortality is currently estimated at 221 out of 100,000 live births, higher than the 162 recorded in 2006. Balisacan said this is due to a number of "bottlenecks" such as the lack or absence of means of women to see a doctor. He said many women also remain uninformed of the repercussions of not seeking medical attention during their pregnancy. "Moreover, beyond affordability and accessibility, some mothers still prefer the services of a 'hilot' (a traditional healer) than nurses or midwives because they consider the former more caring than workers in health facilities," he said. Balisacan said the Philippine government together with other partners will be formulating a new action plan to cut maternal deaths in the country. He said that while the challenge seems daunting, achieving the MDG target may still be feasible given the strength of the country 's economy as well as the assistance extended by organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to the Philippines.