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Factsheet RV-FS#02, Series of 2005 Did you know that . . . a doctor attended only one out of five babies born in the Bicol Region?
The proportion of doctor-assisted
births in the Bicol Region is just a little better than the 19.2 percent of
deliveries attended by a doctor in the rural areas all over the country. A
little over half (50.2 percent) of births five years preceding the survey in
the Bicol Region were delivered with the assistance of a “hilot”
(traditional birth attendant), while only 26.2 percent were assisted by a
midwife. A nurse attended 2.1 percent of the deliveries. Antenatal care of
women however were received from doctors (30.0 percent) and nurses/midwives
(55.6 percent). Only 8.6 percent received antenatal care from traditional
birth attendants. Even as health professionals mostly provided antenatal
care, three out of five mothers were not informed of possible pregnancy
complications. |
With more than half of deliveries attended by a “hilot”, it is not surprising that 76.3 percent of mothers gave birth at home while the rest were either at a government health facility (16.4 percent) or at a private health facility (5.5 percent). The Region’s percentage of live births delivered at home is comparable only to the average for the rural areas in the Philippines in the five years preceding the survey, which stood at 77.0 percent. As expected, most of the mothers had the first postnatal check-up for their last birth also at home (68.2 percent) while the rest had theirs either at a government health facility (25.8 percent) or at a private health facility (6.1 percent). The Regional figure is even higher than the national average of 60.4 percent for the rural areas. It can be possible that if pregnant women were informed of possible pregnancy complications, they are most likely to give birth at a health facility or give birth under the supervision of a health professional. Despite the fact that most mothers had delivery and first postnatal check-up at home, only 5.6 percent of children aged 12-23 months did not have vaccination at any time preceding the survey. This figure is the same as that of the National Capital Region (NCR) and is even lower compared to the national figure of 7.3 percent for all areas, 6.1 percent for urban areas and 8.5 percent for rural areas. This means that the mothers are aware of the importance of vaccination of their babies. |
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Among the breastfed children born in the five years preceding the survey, only 34.9 percent started breastfeeding within an hour of birth. This figure is the second lowest among the regions in the country with Region I having the lowest at 28.8 percent and Region X having the highest (66.6 percent). The national average for all areas stood at 54.0 percent. Colostrum, the yellowish viscid fluid that is secreted from the time of birth until the appearance of normal milk, is rich in antibodies and minerals. It provides newborns with immunity to infections thus it is important that babies are breastfed when colostrum is secreted. The median exclusive breastfeeding of babies covered by the survey lasted only for about 1.9 months. This duration is the second longest median duration (2.0 months) of exclusive breastfeeding among the regions in the country. Breastfeeding limits the child’s exposure to infection thus it is recommended during the first four to six months of a child’s life. There is a need, therefore, to further emphasize that breastfeeding is still best for babies. Source: National Statistical Coordination Board Date posted: July 14, 2005 |
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A
doctor attended only 19.5 percent or roughly one out of five babies born in
the Bicol Region from 1998 to 2002. The Bicol Region ranked sixth among the
regions of the country with the lowest deliveries attended by a doctor. This
fact was revealed by the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).
The survey is conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) every five
years. The NDHS is designed to provide up-to-date information on population,
family planning and health.