House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar advocated for providing maternity kits to low-income pregnant Filipino women to improve their prenatal care and reduce child mortality in the country.House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar advocated for providing maternity kits to low-income pregnant Filipino women to improve their prenatal care and reduce child mortality in the country.
Villar, in House Bill 10694, cited a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report that 2,478 women in the Philippines died due to pregnancy-related complications or childbirth in 2021.
The UNFPA report likewise said that 14% of pregnant women in the country do not receive necessary medical care, including regular checkups during their pregnancy while one in 10 women was unable to access health facilities or assistance from skilled healthcare personnel during childbirth.
“It is the objective of this bill to improve such conditions by establishing a Maternity Kit for Pregnant Filipino Women program that will advance prenatal care for poor or near-poor Filipino women, thereby reducing child mortality and empowering women to perform their role in nation-building,” Villar said.
Under the proposed measure, the maternity kits shall contain blankets, diapers, gauzes, towels, nappies, bedding, cloth or fabric, which could be used to make clothing for the baby, and child care products. The contents of the package shall be updated every two years.
The maternity kit will be free of charge and distributed to expectant mothers identified as poor or near-poor based on the Standardized Targeting System under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Act (Republic Act 11310).
To qualify under the program, pregnant women should avail of prenatal services, give birth in a health facility attended by a skilled health professional, and receive post-partum care and postnatal care for their newborn.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development will be tasked to plan, implement and monitor the program.
