Solon seeks to strengthen PH midwifery profession

IMAP’s three-day convention, where Salo was the keynote speaker, has a theme “Lipad Para sa Pangarap at Pangako! Padayon Midwives!” It is a celebration of the crucial role of midwives in serving the health care needs of Filipinos, especially the mothers and their babies. (File Photo: Suhyeon Choi/Unsplash)

MANILA – As the midwifery profession celebrates its 100th year anniversary in the country, Kabayan Party-List Rep. Ron Salo on Friday filed House Bill 3882 which seeks to strengthen the role of midwives in the country’s health care system.

“The proposed measure does not only strengthen the role of midwives in the health system, but also promotes the optimal health of mothers and their babies,” Salo said.

“When the midwives are greatly capacitated and their welfare are taken care of, they can also effectively take care of their patients and prevent the incidence of maternal deaths,” he added.

HB 3882 outlines several reforms to the current Midwifery Act of 1992, which aims to promote and protect the rights and welfare of midwives. The bill clearly defines the scope of the practice of midwifery, with particular emphasis on the expanding functions of midwives in the community healthcare service.

“Because of the growing complexity of healthcare in our country, the functions of our health care providers are also expanding. For example, a few years ago, the services of midwives in our country were only limited to birthing services. Now, midwives also engage in newborn care, postnatal care, family planning, and newborn screening services. Thus, the law should reflect that,” Salo noted.

The bill further aims to expand the midwifery curriculum to a “four-year Bachelor of Science degree”, citing inadequacies in the two-year curriculum in preparing students to deliver competent midwifery services.

“It has been 30 years since the enactment of the Midwifery Act of 1992. Since then, the practice of midwifery has greatly expanded such that a two-year diploma curriculum is insufficient to teach future midwives adequate midwifery service,” he said.

“There is thus a need to increase the standards of the midwifery curriculum to a four-year bachelor of science degree in order for the Filipino midwife to become well-equipped and highly skilled in offering quality healthcare services and be up to par with international standards in the midwifery practice,” Salo explained.

He further noted that increasing the curriculum to four years will also allow the midwives in the government service to qualify for higher positions as they shall be considered professionals pursuant to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) guidelines.

“Our proposed measure also aims to upgrade the midwife plantilla positions in public hospitals; provide support for midwife practitioners to reach the underprivileged childbearing women with the highest risk of poor health outcomes; increase midwife-to-patient ratio; and mandate the Board of Midwifery to monitor the condition of the profession and ensure quality midwifery education,” Salo said.

The filing of HB 3882 coincided with the 100 year-anniversary of the Midwifery profession in the country and the 48th Annual Convention of the Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP).

IMAP, the largest association of midwives in country, has gathered thousands of its members for its annual convention from 20-22 October 2022.

IMAP’s three-day convention, where Salo was the keynote speaker, has a theme “Lipad Para sa Pangarap at Pangako! Padayon Midwives!” It is a celebration of the crucial role of midwives in serving the health care needs of Filipinos, especially the mothers and their babies.

“Indeed, the midwifery profession has really gone a long-way since 1922 – exactly 100 years today – when Dr. Jose Fabella founded the first school of midwifery,” Salo stressed in his keynote speech.