BY JENNIFER C. TILOS
SAMAR, April
28 (PIA) -- The Center for Agriculture for Rural Development-Mutually
Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI) has recently led the community health
fair on "Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Kalinga kay Inay" project with
more than 1,000 pregnant and lactating moms availed of the health services
in Basey, Samar.
CARD-MRI aims
to assist government's goal to alleviate poverty through social development
programs such as health, livelihood, microfinance, microinsurance, and
education.
Community
development group director Marilynn Manila of CARD-MRI
explained that the "Kalinga ni Inay" project aims to create impact to
the lives of mother-beneficiaries and help the country in lowering maternal
mortality.
It is noted
that Samar has the highest incidence of maternal mortality rate in the country.
Fifteen OB-GYNs
from the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Institution (POGS) of Eastern
Visayas, one general physician, one pediatrician and 15 volunteer-nurses
provided maternal health education, medical consultation, medicines, mother’s
kits, urinalysis and ultrasound services in Basey, Samar.
The health fair
was held alongside the “Buntis Congress” of the Rural Health Unit. The
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) also participated in the
said event to offer its services.
According to
Manila by the end of 2015, the program is targeting 8,000 women to benefit from
the health fairs and 600,000 individuals from the maternal health education.
This third leg
of community health fair targets pregnant, lactating and women of childbearing
age in Basey, Ormoc and Biliran in Eastern Visayas is a collaborative efforts
of CARD-MRI, Freedom From Hunger (FFH) and Microcredit Summit Campaign (MCS).
Manila said
CARD MRI, FFH and MCS want to help the country achieve its Millennium Development
Goal on maternal health.
“CARD MRI
has the outreach to implement such project. We hope that we will be able to
create an impact to the lives of our target beneficiaries and help the country
in lowering maternal mortality and reach its goal of 52,” said Manila. (mbcn/jct/PIA7-Negros
Oriental)