Press Release/16 July 2008

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III today reiterated that family planning in the context of women’s health is a priority of the Department of Health (DOH) as a complementary strategy to prevent maternal deaths and to curb the alleged "ballooning" population.

This statement came after several sectors raised criticisms on the “weak” national policy on family planning as part of the population management program of government.

Secretary Duque clarified that the DOH espouses the universally recognized human right to let every woman decide and take responsibility on her fertility and reproductive rights.

“The power of decision is accorded to every couple and every woman and not to anyone else --- this is not “political expediency” or “religious narrow-mindedness” but is in accordance with the state’s respect for individual beliefs and moral conscience,” he said.

The DOH also confirmed that the present population growth rate (PGR) of the country at 2.04% based on the 2007 National Statistics Office Census is the lowest since the 1960’s. The rate of PGR decline from 2000 to 2007 at 0.30% also represents the biggest reduction in population growth since the 1980’s compared to a 0.01% decline achieved during the 1990’s.

Secretary Duque also emphasized that the slow decline in the country’s maternal mortality rate must be understood in the right context and must not be pinned solely on the alleged low rate of contraceptive use among Filipino women.

“Can contraceptives alone cure our poverty and high maternal death rate? For four decades, the family planning program of our country has relied heavily on foreign donations of artificial contraceptives provided free for all women. To this day, they continue to die and their families remain poor,” Secretary Duque lamented.

The best form of contraception added Duque is economic empowerment. “When poor women and their families are given opportunities to become economically productive through jobs, basic services and education, then they are more likely to sensibly plan their families and limit births. This is where government is focusing through sound fiscal reforms which brought us the highest economic growth rate and the lowest fertility rate in decades,” Secretary Duque said.

Further, Secretary Duque stressed that the more relevant and alarming statistics, which explains why Filipino women die of pregnancy is that safe and quality care during pregnancy and childbirth remain human rights unmet.

Presently, 6 out of every 10 women still deliver at home where they have no access to quality obstetric services when unexpected complications arise. This, he said, is unacceptable at a time when the knowledge, technology and resources have long been available. Thus, the government’s main thrust is strengthening emergency obstetric services in the country that will provide targeted intrapartum interventions which can potentially cut maternal deaths by 73% (Lancet 2006; World Bank estimates, 2004).

The health chief cited the experience of Malaysia with a similar annual population growth rate (1.85%) but which has achieved its MMR target way ahead of the 2015 deadline. Strategies included ensuring skilled attendance at childbirth, upgrading rural health centers and hospitals and developing a system of health care facilities complete with drugs, supplies and equipment for normal deliveries and caesarian sections accessible to all women.

Similarly, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, and Sri Lanka have also achieved substantial reductions in maternal mortality through focused and sustained interventions for maternal health care.

“While government educates women to plan their families and to space and limit their pregnancies, our health system must be ready to give safe and quality care with skilled health professionals in safe and equipped facilities where and when they need it,” he said. “We must also understand and respect the reasons why some Filipino women choose and prefer certain FP methods, whether natural or artificial,” he said.

Secretary Duque cited the 2006 Family Planning Survey (FPS) conducted by the National Statistics Office that revealed that 51% of all women use family planning services in the country, majority of which are pill users.

The other half of women (49%) cited the following common reasons for not using FP: they did not need to (35.6%) because they either wanted a child (19.9%), were old or had difficulty in getting pregnant (9.7%), had infrequent sex or husband was away (8.7%), menopausal or had hysterectomy (8.5%), or was amenorrheic (7.4%). A significant number (30%) cited method-related reasons, such as health concerns, inconvenience and side effects for not using (e.g. nausea, headaches, links to certain cancers, adverse circulatory effects linked to certain OCs).

The FPS 2006 also revealed that the cost of contraceptive method and access to source were reasons for non-use by only less than 1.5% of women not using family planning.