Republic of the Philippines : national safe motherhood survey, 1993

This report contains survey results along with policy and programming recommendations. Following an introduction, Chapter Two discusses survey development. Survey results are covered in Chapters Three through Eight. Chapter Nine reviews those findings most relevant to policy and program planning: (1) The Filipino contraceptive prevalence rate is low (25%), with one-fourth of women surveyed having had an unwanted pregnancy; the average number of pregnancies per respondent was 4.4. (2) Prenatal care coverage is good but quality is low with most women receiving care from primary health care centers; none of the women reported receiving all the recommended elements of prenatal care (at least once) during any given pregnancy. (3) Recognition and referral of symptoms of major complications is poor, although most women seek help when referred. (4) Most deliveries are at home; midwives are a critical link between mothers and health systems. (5) A high proportion of women experience major obstetric complications. (6) The maternal mortality rate is high (209 deaths per 100,000 live births). (7) Coverage and quality of postpartum care is low, with many women suffering symptoms of reproductive morbidity. (8) Women are at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, with only 3% reporting the use of condoms. (9) Finally, 10% of women surveyed reported suffering domestic violence, one-third of which occurred during pregnancy.