Saving lives one baby at a time

MANILA, Philippines - In the hot summer month of May, residents of a quiet, far-flung community in Bicol are going about their usual activities, not fully aware that their lives serve as a silent testament to the winning war being valiantly fought against important women’s and children’s health issues.

Pfizer Philippines Foundation Inc. (PPFI) contributes to the observance of Safe Motherhood Week, designated by the Department of Health (DOH) in the second week of May, with the continuing success of its pioneer NayBahay birthing facility in Minalabac, Camarines Sur.

The Ligtas Paanakan Center, which now serves as the birthing facility at the town’s rural health unit, is a partnership among the Department of Health (DOH), the local government unit and other stakeholders as a unified effort to improve healthcare access and conditions in underserved communities.

At the same time, NayBahay in particular is one of Pfizer Philippines’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in line with its own corporate goals and values — strengthening healthcare delivery in places where health services and information are scarce.

NayBahay’s goal is simple — to provide a ready and more accessible alternative for women to carry pregnancy and give birth in a safe environment supervised by skilled birth attendants, thus reducing mother and child mortality rates.

In the simplicity of such a concept as NayBahay also lies the immediacy of its positive impact and results. In 2012 alone when the project was launched, the percentage of home deliveries comprising the total number of births in the community decreased to 21 percent from 40 percent in 2011. Of the number of facility-based deliveries, as many as 42 percent were at NayBahay.

By 2013, NayBahay births comprised as much as half of facility-based deliveries. Most importantly, no maternal deaths have been reported at the facility. As of the first quarter this year, NayBahay has helped bring to this world a total of 826 healthy newborns.

NayBahay — a rhyming portmanteau of the Filipino words meaning “mother” and “home” — provides a two-bed delivery room and a two-bed ward. It is well-equipped, has ample medical supplies for patients, and is professionally run by municipal midwives with assistance from public health nurses. The local government of Minalabac, meanwhile, funds the day-to-day operation of NayBahay.

These facilities, equipment and services are available and accessible to all mothers and their families in the community. Pregnant women are accommodated at NayBahay as long as they have a prognosis for normal delivery. More complicated childbirth cases are best referred to nearby hospitals for more appropriate care.

In recognition of its impact to the community and public health, NayBahay received an award of merit at the 5th Global CSR Summit last April for being one of the most successful CSR projects in the Philippines.