UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is expressing concern over the non-inclusion of contraceptives in the Philippine government’s 2016 national budget, citing implications on poor families’ access to much-needed family planning supplies and the country’s development targets in general.
In recent years that the Aquino administration has shown its resolve in implementing a strategic family planning program, modern contraceptive use increased from 34 per cent in 2008 to 38 per cent in 2013, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). This in turn has contributed to a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio, or the number of deaths per 100,000 live births, from 129 in 2013 to 114 in 2015 based on United Nations estimates.
The population growth rate also slowed down from 1.9 per cent in 2010 to 1.7 per cent in 2015.
While the situation is still far from ideal, initial steps undertaken by Government to ensure greater access to family planning for the poorest of the poor who need it most have begun to show positive, beneficial results. Failure to sustain this commitment can swiftly reverse gains and put the country in a more difficult position to achieve its vital development target to reduce maternal deaths.
The budget deletion comes at an especially critical time as the country is seeking to strengthen efforts to battle the crisis of increasing teen pregnancy, which consequently also contributes to maternal deaths among young girls. There is also a pending case with the Supreme Court restraining health workers from providing the new contraceptive subdermal implant in public health centers.
“The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law has solidified the foundation of reproductive health and rights in the Philippines, but without funding for contraceptives, an essential element of any family planning program, the law will be ineffective,” Mr. Beck said.
For a country with a large population of young people such as the Philippines, important investments should be made on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including access to contraceptives, to achieve a more educated and healthy population, more productive workforce, and growing economy to maximize the potential of the huge population.
“Access to contraceptives is an essential condition for exercising the basic human right to health as well as the right to reproductive choices,” noted Yoriko Yasukawa, UNFPA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.
“Global evidence clearly shows that universal access to family planning is essential to prevent maternal and newborn deaths; is vital to achieving gender equality; and contributes to poverty reduction and inclusive development. We strongly encourage the reversal of the budget deletion,” she said.
