The United Nation’s member states Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 include reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates, infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Significant progress has been made and the member states particularly developing countries made substantial headway so far in attaining these goals.
In the Philippines, one of the main reasons for the country’s relentless pursuit of ensuring access to quality health care services through its Universal Health Care platform is the attainment of the targets that the country has committed in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The country’s 2015 Maternal Mortality Reduction target of 52 poses a huge challenge not just to government but to every stakeholder in health. The Department of Health as the leader in health, has initiated the implementation of health reforms for the rapid reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality. More than the implementation of evidence-based health interventions like immunizations, micronutrient supplementation, prenatal care, advocacy for family planning and breastfeeding, it is strongly supporting the deployment of Community Health Teams (CHTs) tasked to help families assess their conditions, identify problems and implement solutions.
The deployment of health professional particularly nurses are crucial in this program. The role of the nurse becomes particularly highlighted now more than ever, as nurses now become the immediate technical resource of these CHTs.
CHTs seek to help identify and manage adequately all maternal and child cases to allow government to further reduce our maternal and neonatal mortalities. Continuous advocacy and support for the implementation of the Essential and Intrapartum Newborn Care protocol contributes to the country’s efforts to meet MDGs. But government cannot do it alone, it needs the help and support of all the health sectors (public and private), health professionals particularly nurses and all its citizens to elicit their vows of continuously assisting government so that mothers and children continue to be healthy and productive members of the community.
May the nurses from different parts of the world find their ways to contribute in aiding their countries to improve public health and services every human being deserves.
