Final Days of February

After the Fiesta in Candoni, things are yet to settle, especially for us health workers. The week following the Fiesta week, the Rural health unit of Candoni started conducting its Afternoon Aerobics Exercise (HATAW) at the Public Plaza. Every 4:30 in the afternoon, municipal employees, students, and by-standers would join the health workers do the Hataw using original steps made by our HL team. Yesterday afternoon, I was able to join the Hataw together with the Mayor himself, Mayor Cicero Borromeo.

Earlier that afternoon, the Mayor and I talked at the Mayor's Office and I shared with him the good news regarding our facility now accredited as a Newborn Screening facility. He was sharing his plans for 2009 with me and how delighted he was to see the progress that is happening in Candoni. Candoni really started from zero and now, the municipality has a new Main health center which has a 10-bed Observation Ward, OPD, Emergency Room and trauma Care, 2-bed Labor room and Sterile Delivery Room, 1 laboratory and TB DOTS center. Mayor Celot is even planning to expand it further.


During our barangay visit yesterday (which we usually do every Wednesday), Maja told the group that she once had a conversation with a fellow passenger in the bus en route to Candoni. The person was living in a neighboring town and he was telling her of a pregnant relative of his who was residing in Kabankalan City but decided to have her baby delivered at home in their town. They were able to find a "hilot" or an untrained birth attendant and this hilot happened to be from one of the barangays in Candoni which shares borders with this town. The person was advising his relative to go back to Kabankalan and have her child delivered in a hospital where it is safer. The hilot seconded the advice saying that in Candoni, where she lives, "the doctor told us that we could no longer handle deliveries on our own, or else he will file a case against us. So all of us hilots no longer deliver babies at home. We only assist our midwives at the health center." The person then said to Maja, "Mayo pa sa Candoni, no. Tani amo man na sa amon di."

I was happy to hear this, knowing that the mindset of the people have already changed. It used to be very difficult to explain to our traditional birth attendants the importance of facility-based deliveries. Many mothers would have their babies delivered at home not because they do not recognize the dangers at home, but because culturally speaking, it has been their tradition and way of life. Now, we were able to "alter" culture. Now they have a new way of life.

However, there are still others who seemed to be resistant to change, and mostly their reason is political. They do not want to be perceived as "supportive" of the incumbent Mayor, so they oppose anything under his administration. Whenever we had the chance to talk, Mayor Celot would sometimes express his frustration over too much politics.

Nevertheless, I am still thankful that despite the obvious partisanship, our endeavors in the rural health unit are mostly spared from the political tug-of-war.

The last week of February will be a very hectic week. Tuesday will be our Interlocal Health Zone board meeting at Ilog where I am supposed to give a lecture on Stages of Labor together with Dra. Abilla. Wednesday and Thursday will be a workshop on Rationalization Planning to be conducted by the Center for Health Development Western Visayas and Friday will be our Mountain Marathon and Hataw Contest.

Here are more pics taken from other sources during our Opening Ceremonies of the Heart Month: