Health Undersecretary Janette Garin emphasized the importance of partnerships to address the enormous challenges the country faces in meeting targets for reducing maternal deaths and increasing access to reproductive health services by 2015, the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The Philippines’ maternal mortality ratio stands at 221 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the Family Health Survey (FHS) released in 2011. It increased from the MMR of 162 in 2006, making it even more difficult to bring the number down to the government target of 52, two years before the MDG deadline.

The FHS also showed an increasing number of girls who are becoming mothers in the 15-19 and 20-24 age groups.

“As a doctor, I know that teenage pregnancy directly contributes to increasing maternal deaths since the bodies of teenagers are not yet physiologically ready to fully nurture a baby in her womb. This is not to mention the impact that being an early mother brings to the teenager in terms of depriving her of time to get better education, thus robbing her of a better future,” said Garin, who was one of the prime movers of the Reproductive Health Law in the House of Representatives before her appointment to the Department of Health.

“The magnitude and challenges of reproductive health and family planning needs are too great for any one country, organization, or sector to address alone, and global partnerships are emphasizing shared responsibilities for improving health outcomes in achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” Garin said during the national consultation on family planning organized by UNFPA and the Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood last August 15.

“In fact, in recognition of the importance of partnerships with the non-government sector, the World Bank Africa Strategy acknowledges that unless Ministries of Health harness the potential of non-government sector providers, they will be unable to reach their public health goals,” Garin added.

The Philippines is among a few countries that committed to actively engage in promoting informed family planning decision-making by men and women during the London Summit on Family Planning in July last year, where governments from developed countries, civil society organizations, private sector and leaders from 20 developing countries, converged. The summit sought to expand access to contraception for 120 million women in the poorest sector by 2020.

Last June, Health Secretary Enrique Ona issued Administrative Order 2012-0009 which provided for an updated and comprehensive approach to reduce unmet needs of women for modern family planning services.

The order had an explicit directive which provides that in highly populated or urbanized areas and where there are gaps in local government services, NGOs and business sector providers of family planning services and contraceptives shall be engaged.

“The three keys to achieving an effective family planning program are technology, scale and management.  We have the technology in family planning and this is even continually evolving. What we need is putting this technology at a larger scale to reach greater numbers - and with rigor to yield greater impact,” Garin said in her keynote message.

Garin acknowledged UNFPA and the PSRP for supporting government’s efforts to improve women’s access to family planning. Bringing together stakeholders for the national consultation, she said, is a step towards alleviating the problems of high maternal mortality and rising teenage pregnancy.