THE Philippines has grappled with many national health issues, like vaccine hesitancy, lack of access to medical facilities, insufficient cancer care, and other concerns. Teenage pregnancy, one such concern, might not be seen as a pressing matter. However, the high number of teenage pregnancies in the country has prompted the national government to declare it as a national social emergency in 2019.
“Teenage pregnancy is a health and social economic issue in the Philippines and around the world, not only because pregnancy rates among teenagers remain significantly high, but also and most importantly, because of its implication on the growth, development and well-being of both a pregnant teenage mom and her child during the pregnancy and after childbirth,” said Vanessa G. Retuerma, director of Strategy Management, Impact and Learning Department of World Vision
Jihwan Jeon, project director of KOICA MNCH Project and World Vision Korea
Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region 8 Director Elnora PulmaBased on the 2022 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the adolescent birth rate seems to have been declining from 56 in 2020 to 25 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19. This trend follows even in regional levels like for Eastern Visayas, wherein it’s also the case for 245 respondents of the same age group of the female populace in the region, dropping to 4.7 percent last year from 6.9 percent recorded in 2017.
However, experts cautioned that the current numbers might paint a rosier picture than reality, saying that the decline could be attributed to the quarantine restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Such statistics had quite gone down a little bit as we take into consideration the existence of the pandemic during the time that actually limited the interaction of our adolescents aged 15 to 19 with their respective peers. But based on the study, it is expected to rise again starting 2022 when the pandemic slackened and students are now face-to-face,” Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region 8 Director Elnora R. Pulma said.
A study done by the College of Public Health of the University of the Philippines — Manila showed several factors that could lead to a higher chance for sexual encounters at a young age such as the lack of parental influence and the feeling of being external to the community, as well as the lack of sexual and reproductive health education coupled with limited access to information resulting in hesitancy and embarrassment among teenagers to inquire about such topics.
Dr. Kim de la Luna, the presenter of the study noted that addressing the gaps in Eastern Visayas requires a multi-sectoral approach that involves the government, civil society organizations, and the private sector. He added that efforts should focus on increasing access to family planning services, providing comprehensive education on reproductive health, improving maternal and child care services, and addressing cultural barriers and stigmas.
Six of the provinces in Region 8 are already implementing The KADA Network, a strategy of the DOH that focuses on establishing adolescent-friendly health facilities and hospitals, as well as learning institutions. Currently, the regional office of the health agency conducts a province-wide implementation of this initiative in Biliran with plans to expand it to other areas in Eastern Visayas.
“Then maybe this year, once the funding is already transferred to local government units, the rest will follow, which include Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Tacloban City and Ormoc City,” said Hermart C. Severino, Nurse V, DOH-Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development.
For their part, World Vision and KOICA are now implementing Phase 1 of the KOICA Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Project in the Eastern Visayas Region, covering 16 municipalities in the provinces of Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar, and Northern Samar.
Under the program, both KOICA and World Vision provide medical tools, medicines or consumables to increase the readiness and availability for the health service in the community. Both parties, likewise, work with other partners to improve and upgrade policies related to maternal health.
“For the next year, we are looking to get a partner to upgrade our referral system. This is because during our discussion with the communities and municipal workers, we found out there are still many pregnant women who are struggling to be referred to the highest level hospital,” revealed Jihwan Jeon, project director of KOICA MNCH Project and World Vision Korea, adding that “Once we finish this first phase of the program, we can invest in other research for another five years. So that is our plan.”
