By Nash Tahang
Bongao, Tawi-Tawi (21 January) -- Believing that no mother should die giving birth, Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul A. Sahali Al-haj is going to launch Project 100 RUBIES on Saturday as it sees the need for its immediate implementation to serve mothers in the communities with less accessibility to health services.
The project is aimed at reaching underserved barangays through initiatives for enhancement of services to curb maternal, infant and child deaths in Tawi-Tawi. It is named after Vice Governor Ruby Sahali-Tan.
The project, in coordination with the provincial health office, also aimed to catalyze all sectors to contribute in giving appropriate and timely health care interventions to save lives of mothers and children.
According to Dr. Sukarno Asri, Alhaj, chief of IPHO - Tawi-Tawi, his office is tasked to oversee the implementation of the project with support from the DOH-ARMM.
He also said that the total cost of the project amounts to P5.5 million in its first year of implementation for 2010 of which the provincial government of Tawi-Tawi through Governor Sadikul A. Sahali, Al-haj and Vice Governor Ruby Sahali-Tan will invest P3.6 million to cover the salaries of the 100 RUBIES (Midwives) and operational funds to jumpstart the project.
Meanwhile, Vice Governor Sahali–Tan disclosed that recipient municipalities where the RUBIES will be deployed need to invest a total of P1.2 million to cover the logistical requirements (medicines, transportation and other cost), as well as security of the midwives.
Sahali-Tan stressed that LGU's support is critical, especially, in ensuring that the midwives will be absorbed in their respective rural health center's operations after 2010.
She also disclosed that the project's development has been aided by partners which provided support. These include USAID's Sustainable Health Improvement through Empowerment and Local Government (SHIELD) projects; UNFPA which provided the delivery kits for the 100 RUBIES and also building the capacities of the midwives; Global Fund to Fight Malaria has trained the 100 RUBIES and provided pregnancy kits to mothers who will avail of the services of the midwives, and European Commission's MHSPSP project that equipped the 100 midwives in dealing with cultural and behavioral factors in child birth and rearing through the results of a behavioral study. (PIA9-BST)
http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p100121.htm&no=06
