Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura and Tanauan Municipal Mayor Roque Andrade Tiu signed the grant contract for “The Project for Construction of Birthing Facility in the Municipality of Tanauan, Leyte” on June 24, 2009 at the Embassy of Japan. The Project, amounting to US$ 62,135 (approximately 3 Million Pesos at P48/USD), is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The Department of Health has promoted delivery in hospitals or health centers with well-equipped birthing facilities in order to lower the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate. Pregnant women cannot avoid various risks when they deliver at their homes. Without proper medical kits and professional doctors and nurses, women may not sure in through the case of emergency.
In the Municipality of Tanauan, community health workers have actively encouraged pregnant women to deliver in hospitals or health centers with birthing facilities, but only 40 percent of them use hospitals or health centers while remaining 60 percent choose to deliver at their homes. The main reason for the high rate of home-based delivery is rack of birthing facility in the health center in the Municipality of Tanauan. Many people cannot afford travel expenses to the Provincial Hospital that has the closest birthing facility for people in Tanauan, nor expenses for delivery in the hospital.
With this grant assistance, the Municipality of Tanauan will expand their health center and construct a birthing facility inside it. Medical equipment for the facility will also be installed. The project will upgrade the capacity of the health center to provide appropriate and accessible medical services for pregnant women in Tanauan.
GGP was launched in the Philippines in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engaged in grassroots level activities. As of 2009, more than 400 small-scale grassroots projects funded by GGP– ranging in cost from roughly PhP 1 to 4 million – have been implemented by NGOs, local government units, and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects so far amounts to US$ 17,418,724 ( approximately 800 Million Pesos at P48/USD).
Japanese Version
