ILOILO – A P10.5-million primary birthing center—the first project site nationwide under the World Bank-assisted Health System Resilience Project (HSRP) to break ground — will soon rise in San Enrique town to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare and help reduce maternal deaths.
The Department of Health (DOH Region 6, together with the Iloilo provincial government and other stakeholders, led the groundbreaking ceremony for the two-storey facility on July 16.
Iloilo is the only province in Western Visayas and one of 17 pilot provinces nationwide selected to receive assistance under the HSRP.
The project is expected to provide expectant mothers with a safe environment for childbirth and improve their access to essential maternal and neonatal services.
DOH-6 director Dr. Mar Wynn Bello said the agency remains committed to developing health infrastructure suited to the particular needs of communities across the region.
The birthing center will feature modern amenities intended to support quality care for mothers and their newborns.
It will be complemented by a Family and Youth Development Center that will provide adolescent health services, counseling, and other population and development programs.
The groundbreaking was undertaken in partnership with the Iloilo provincial government, San Enrique municipal government, San Enrique Primary Care Facility, and MoRProGRes Iloilo Program.
Bello was joined at the ceremony by Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., San Enrique Mayor Gian Carlo Niño Fernandez, Vice Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez, and other local officials.
The DOH also announced additional health projects for Iloilo, including the deployment of sea ambulances and mobile clinics and the upgrading of district and provincial hospitals.
These initiatives form part of the government’s broader effort to establish a more resilient health network and expand access to quality healthcare for Ilonggos, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth./PN
