World Vision and KOICA push for better healthcare access in vulnerable Eastern Visayas communities  

One of the longstanding challenges that the Philippines has been dealing with is reducing maternal and child mortality rates, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. In the Eastern Visayas, several provinces have seen an alarmingly high number of infant deaths.

To help address this problem, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), together with World Vision, has organized the Policy Forum focusing on Health Referral System as part of their KOICA Maternal Newborn and Child Health Project (KOICA MNCH) in the Eastern Visayas Region, which covers 16 municipalities in the provinces of Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar, and Northern Samar. 

Number of infant deaths in these provinces grew from 14.3% in 2021 to 23.5% in 2022, according to a data shared by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Among the contributing factors to the problem is the country’s inadequate health care services due to limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of coordination among health facilities.

World Vision World Vision And Koica Push For Better Healthcare Access In Vulnerable Eastern Visayas Communities Photo1
KOICA and World Vision organized the Policy Forum focusing on Health Referral System as part of their KOICA Maternal Newborn and Child Health Project in the Eastern Visayas Region.

The KOICA MNCH Project aims to contribute to improving maternal and child health and reducing maternal mortality by supporting MNCH service delivery and accountability. To strengthen community engagement, and ensure the success of the project, the Policy Forum will bring together regional and national government agencies, local government units, INGOs/CSOs, and relevant stakeholders to discuss the pressing issues concerning the health referral system in the region.

The Policy Forum will discuss the current landscape of the health referral system in the region. It also aims to provide solutions to the issues and challenges surrounding the health referral system as well as strategies for its effective implementation, and monitoring and evaluation at the community and apex hospital levels. 

“We believe everyone has the right to proper healthcare services. Through this project, we hope that access to proper healthcare services will finally reach many remote and underserved areas in the region,” said KOICA project director Jihwan Jeon.

Expressing his support, Jun N. Godornes, World Vision Philippines’ interim national director shared, “Quality access to maternal healthcare is very critical to ensure the health of both mother and infant/child. This Policy Forum hopes to safeguard their life and put an end to preventable maternal and newborn deaths.”

The KOICA MNCH Project is part of KOICA’s initiatives to strengthen its mission and vision of contributing to common prosperity and the promotion of world peace by implementing programs that address issues to health, education, climate action, gender equality, human rights peace, and many more.

World Vision is aligned with its values and objectives as a global humanitarian organization that is devoted to improving the lives of the vulnerable sectors of society, especially impoverished children, their families, and their communities. 

For more updates, visit https://www.worldvision.org.ph and follow World Vision Philippines’ official social media pages: @worldvisionph on Facebook and Twitter, and @worldvisionphl on Instagram.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUST IN

More Stories