New dimensions in the care of high risk pregnancy
Sanchez, P.
Philippine Journal of Nursing 59(3): 20-23
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0048-3818 PMID: 2628987 Document Number: 332949
In June 1989, the past president of the Philippine Nurses Association spoke at the annual convention of the Maternal Child Nurses Association at the Children's Medical Center in Quezon City. She addressed maternal health and high risk pregnancies in the Philippines. The maternal mortality rate was 90/100,000 live births each year. It was 4-5 times higher among remote tribes such as the Muslims of Sulu than the national rate. 54% of maternal deaths were attributed to pregnancy complications especially eclampsia (28%). About 2 million women experienced pregnancy annually and almost 1 million had anemia or were malnourished. 20% of these 1 million women gave birth to low birth weight infants who were at high risk of death from infections. About 574,000 out of 1.4 million infants born annually were unwanted. 63% of pregnant women each year did not want any children. Nurses can play an important role to reduce suffering and death among mothers and infants if they practice good health teaching. For example, they can inform mothers about child spacing and birth limiting. They can also identify high risk pregnancies and refer them to other health professionals to manage them. In September 1987, the Philippines Department of Health sponsored a conference on maternal health. Participants made 6 resolutions. The 1st resolution was to consider maternal mortality an indicator of Health for All by year 2000. They also resolved to declare 1988-97 the Decade of Safe Motherhood which included the creation of a multisectoral task force under the Department of Health. The speaker concluded by encouraging Philippine nurses to resist the temptation to work abroad to make more money and instead stay in the Philippines to care for their own people.