Maternal, child mortality rate in Albay in a down trend

Maternal, child mortality rate in Albay in a down trend

LEGAZPI CITY, June 19 (PIA) – Maternal and child mortality rate in Albay has been decreasing in the past six years according to the statistics provided by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) here.

The statistics show that the number of maternal deaths in every 100,000 live births in the province has been on a downtrend from 2007 to 2012.

In 2007, 84 deaths were registered, 81 in 2008, 60 in 2009, 66 in 2010, 58 in 2011 and down to 20 in 2012.

Child mortality likewise posted a decreasing rate per 1,000 live births with 377 deaths in 2010 and 152 in 2011.

Children under five years old posted 13.09 percent and 14.24 percent decrease in the said periods.

In 2012, 373 deaths were recorded for children under this age bracket while infant and fetal deaths were posted at 262.

Furthermore, the provincial government of Albay headed by Governor Joey Salceda is confident that the province can achieve zero maternal deaths and 67% reduction in child mortality rate by 2015.

This can be done by providing Albayanos with 100% access to reproductive health (RH) services in 2015.

Among these RH services are skilled birth attendance and facility-based deliveries to be maximized at 80 percent in 2015.

Access to these services has been increasing from 2007 to 2011.

In 2007, skilled birth attendance in the province was only at 52 percent, 57 percent in 2008, 62 percent in 2009, and up by 72 percent in 2010 and 76 percent in 2011.

The same uptrend is posted for facility-based deliveries from 2007 to 2011 with 19, 24, 35, 57 and 70 percent increase respectively. (MAL/SAA/PIA5/Albay)