POGS promotes women’s rights to maternal health, protection
By Anne Hazel Fajardo-Flores
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union Mar 9 (PIA) – A local maternal health care organization in the Ilocos Region promotes women’s rights for health and protect them from any forms of harm and abuse during pregnancy.
The local organization is the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Foundation, Inc. or POGS Region 1 Chapter led by its President, Dr. Unity H. Cortez, who is also the chief of medical professional staff of the Ilocos Training and Medical Center (ITRMC).
In a Kapihan sa Ilocos program of the Philippine Information Agency on March 3, Dr. Cortez and resource speakers from ITRMC and POGS guested and expounded on the importance of providing the best health care for pregnant, lactating and expectant women.
Relative to this, Dr. Unity said that their organization accredits hospitals on two categories which are on services and training.
“Our organization is following a standard on how to provide the best quality health attention for pregnant women, and through the conduct and approval of the accreditation of hospitals on services and residency training programs, we would be able to ensure that the clinical practice guidelines are adhered to,” said Dr. Cortez.
“With our goal to decrease maternal mortality in the Ilocos region, we have scheduled several activities for our beneficiaries including the use of digital platforms to celebrate the National Buntis Day (NBD) and the Women’s Month this March,” Dr. Cortez added.
The conduct of several online maternal care fora and consultations, and some services such as distribution of buntis (pregnant) kits, and information and education campaigns (IECs) will be delivered by the group and health care provider networks in the communities for the whole month of March.
Moreover, the program was attended by maternal care resource speakers: ITRMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chairperson Dr. Aurora Valdez who talked about the causes of maternal mortality; Medical Officer IV Dr. Grethel Hagacer provided information on teenage pregnancy while Medical Specialist and Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) Program Coordinator Dr. Michelle Cababa dwelt on protection and safety from any form of harm during the pandemic.
In the program, Cababa’s discussion is aligned with this year’s Women’s Month 2021 theme: “Kababaihan Laban sa Pandemya, Kaya!”
“Our unit caters to those women and children who were abused, especially those who are experiencing stress and oppression during this pandemic, and our unit is on operation 24/7 to provide our services to the victims,” said Cababa.
Due to urgency, victims are advised to go directly to the emergency room of the ITRMC, and not at the Out-Patient-Department. The information provided will be treated with strict confidentiality.
Their activities for the NBD started on February 28 and shall be highlighted with the Ginang Buntis National Pageant on March 10.
POGS is a premier organization composed of highly-competent Obstetrician-Gynecologists providing excellent reproductive health care established in 1946. (AHFF/PIA-1)
