It was only 8:30 a.m. on that day in June but it was already hot and humid in the lowland town of Alfonso Lista in the province of Ifugao.  A line of women had formed outside the Potia District Hospital.

Some of the women were accompanied by their husbands as they waited to avail of free  family planning services, including tubal ligation, contraceptive implant and IUD insertion, to be performed by a medical team from the Fabella Hospital.

The women had the same concern: they have large families. Most of them have more than three children; in fact, three women have 11. Life is difficult for all of them. They want a family planning method that will not interfere with their daily house chores and work, because they have to make a living.

During screening, the medical team explained to the mothers the family planning methods available at the outreach mission. The services for  contraceptive implants was the first to be conducted by the team outside Metro Manila, as this was only being performed at the Philippine General Hospital previously. 

The method proved to be a popular option for the younger women that, at the end of the first day of the outreach, supplies for the implant had run out. The Fabella team had to request for additional supplies to be sent by bus overnight from Manila.

At the end of the two-day mission in Alfonso Lista, 49 women have availed of the implant. They liked it because it has a three-year effect. The ease of using the method also contributed to its popularity.

During the family planning outreach, 15 women opted for tubal ligation, while two had IUD insertions.

When the Fabella team moved to the Tinoc District Hospital in the municipality of Tinoc two days later, the implant was also introduced and immediately attracted mothers, whose ages ranged from early 20s to early 40s. A total of 53 women – mostly those in the younger age group – availed of the implant, 16 had tubal ligation, and 12 chose IUDs.

Covering two municipalities classified as geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) was a huge success for the Fabella team. In total, 113 women were given implants,  37 had ligation, and 14 IUD insertions.

Photo: A mother gives the sign of approval after having the contraceptive implant inserted on her left arm.

Text and photo by Hector Follosco, UNFPA Area Programme Officer for Ifugao