Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Mother Bles Birthing Clinics

last updated Sep 25, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
KaKaK Foundation, Inc.
Implementation Partner(s): 
Provincial Government of Leyte, Private Practicing Midwives, Department of Health, PhilHealth Region 8
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Out-of-pocket payments

Scale

Number of Facilities Operated/Networked: 
16 clinics: 6 in Cebu city, 5 in Samar, and 5 in Pampanga
Summary: 

Mother Bles Birthing Clinics (MBBC) are networks of PhilHealth accredited birthing health facility started in Leyte Province. The program aims to provide poor pregnant women with accessible and affordable maternal and infant health care services. Ninety-five (95) percent of clients of MBBC are PhilHealth indigent members, and the remaining 5 percent are either non-PhilHealth or paying clients. The business model of Mother Bles Clinics harnesses the comparative advantages of the following sectors through private-public partnership: KaKaK Foundation Inc., private practicing midwives, municipal and provincial government.

KaKaK Foundation, which serves as the non-profit private partner, manages the general requirements of all birthing clinics, including PhilHealth accreditation and marketing. The private practicing midwives operate the birthing facility, and their compensation is dependent on the number of deliveries the clinics have. The municipal government provides for the location of birthing clinic, and make sure that all women in the community are enrolled in PhilHealth. The provincial government facilitates partnership, provides ambulanceand monitors the general operation of the clinics.

Program goals/rationale: 

The Philippines has a target of reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. In the province of Leyte, 20% of deliveries are not attended by skilled health personnel and nearly 75 women died of pregnancy-related causes in 2010. Women in the rural and poor areas still prefer hilots (traditional birthing attendants) and the comfort of their homes to deliver a baby, without the assurance of safe delivery. There is also an alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in the province, whereas the youngest documented was a 13 year-old girl. Against this background, Sister Eloisa David of the KaKaK Foundation, Inc., a non-government, non-political organization; and Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla initiated the Mother Bles Birthing Clinics (MBBC) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Key program components: 

MBBC implements a holistic program to address high maternal and infant mortality. The key implementation steps involve selection of barangay with high maternal mortality rate for 1-2 weeks; appraisal and clinic renovation; consultation and negotiation with the barangay or municipality; manning and training of midwives; licensing and accreditation which depends on Philhealth but usually takes 4-8 weeks; operation by KaKaK; supervision and control by the Provincial Government; and technical assistance if needed.

KaKaK works through barangays through a signed memorandum of agreement on the “contract-add-operate” modality which specifies the roles of the players as follows:

  1. KaKaK Foundation, Inc. – repairs and renovates the clinic and equips it as a birthing facility; administers supplies and logistics; process accreditation, documentation and claims; pays advanced PF to private practicing midwives; facilitates enrolment of pregnant mothers with PhilHealth through PHIC’s Sponsored Program or Individually Paying Program (IPP); and promotes and markets the birthing facility.

  2. Private Practicing Midwives – they are the core professional service providers of MBBC. They operate and maintain the birthing facility in accordance with the operations manual; conducts community work; coordinates and works with Women’s Health Team from case solicitation to post natal care and referrals; reports accomplishments to KAKAK and the BHS/RHU’s FHSIS (Field Health Service Information System). Their compensation depends on the number of deliveries the clinics have. This scheme gives incentive to the midwives for their hard work, and encourages others to put more time and effort into case solicitation and community work.

  3. Barangay or Municipal LGU - offers a venue to KaKaK, mostly abandoned barangay health centers; registers and monitors all pregnant mothers in the village; assists pregnant women to access services in the birthing facility; assists clinic staff in recruiting pregnant women for PhilHealth coverage; advocates municipal and provincial LGUs for the enrollment of poor families under the Sponsored Program of PhilHealth.

  4. Provincial Government - provides the ambulance; facilitate hospital partnership; coordinates with MHOs, BHWs, and local midwives; and monitors the operation of the clinics.

All clinics are under the supervision of the Chief Operating Officer of KaKaK, Sr. Eloisa L. David, OSB. Clinic operations are directly under the midwives and as much as possible coordinated with the LGU as part of the women health team from case solicitation to post natal care and referrals. All accreditations are processed by the administrative support staff including supplies and logistics. Pregnant women are also enrolled in the indigent sponsored program of the LGU with PhilHealth; this ensures full MCP coverage for mothers eligible under PhilHealth’s MCP. The program is funded mostly from PhilHealth’s MCP reimbursements; it is dependent on PhilHealth’s enrolment at the clinic’s area of operation.

The services that MBBC offers include: prenatal care; nutrition and family planning; newborn care and screening; care for malnourished mothers and children; PhilHealth enrolment assistance; post natal care; guidance counseling and catechism; live birth registration; free marriage validation for unwed couples; and free baptismal assistance for infants.

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