• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The city government should institutionalize a comprehensive and sustainable policy that guarantees free maternal laboratory services to all pregnant women.
This will strengthen maternal health outcomes and advance the goals of universal healthcare, Councilor Em Ang said in her proposed “Maternal Health Protection and Diagnostic Access Ordinance of Bacolod City”, approved on first reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod recently.
Ang, chairperson of the SP Committee on Health and Sanitation, noted that per City Health Office data, maternal deaths increased from nine in 2023, to 12 in 2024, and further to 16 in 2025.
“While total deliveries declined during the same period, the proportional increase in maternal deaths reflects heightened clinical vulnerability and incomplete maternal care compliance,” she stressed.
The completion of quality antenatal care also declined from 2,670 in 2023, to 2,083 in 2025, records show. “This downward trend suggests barriers to full service utilization, including financial constraints related to required laboratory examinations.”
The proposed ordinance stated that essential laboratory examinations are vital for safe pregnancy management, and are mandated components of quality antenatal care under the Department of Health standards and PhilHealth benefit packages.
But financial constraints and out-of-pocket expenses for laboratory diagnostics discourage some pregnant women from completing prescribed tests, resulting in delayed diagnosis, preventable complications, and avoidable maternal deaths, Ang said, hence her proposal to maximize PhilHealth’s Maternity Care Package (MCP).
MCP provides reimbursement mechanisms for maternal services that, when properly maximized and efficiently managed, can significantly support and sustain free maternal laboratory services at the local level, she added.
Under the proposal, the free comprehensive maternal laboratory services for beneficiaries shall include complete blood count, including hemoglobin and hematocrit levels for detection of anemia; urinalysis, for detection of urinary tract infections, proteinuria, and related conditions;
Blood typing and Rh factor determination; blood glucose screening appropriate for gestational diabetes detection; screening for infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV, in accordance with national maternal health protocols; and other laboratory examinations deemed medically necessary under prevailing maternal care standards, as certified by authorized health professionals.
Laboratory services shall be provided primarily through city-operated laboratories, or accredited facilities when needed, Ang said. | CGC
