siMana: Katungod han mga Kababayin-an han ira Kahimsogang Panreproduktibo
Universal Health Care (UHC), also known as Kahimsogan Para Ha Ngatanan in Waray-Waray, is a phrase that has yet to achieve full sincerity in the Philippines. With PhilHealth members covering at least 60% of their medical expenses out of pocket and an increasing number of women facing unmet needs for modern contraception, UHC remains a privilege reserved for those who can access and receive timely medical assistance without the fear of financial difficulties.
The full enactment of Republic Act No. 10354 also known as the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012” (RPRH Act), is a key foundation for achieving Universal Health Care, or Kahimsogan Para Ha Ngatanan. This law ensures that everyone has access to reproductive healthcare services, including family planning. It mandates the government to offer unbiased information and access to all safe, legal, and effective modern family planning methods—both natural and artificial—based on scientific and evidence-based medical research.
The Department of Health (DOH) and its partners are responsible for ensuring that family planning services are widely available, affordable, and of high quality by standardizing clinical practices and integrating the most current medical advancements. However, in this day and age of advanced medical science, wonder cures, life-bending surgeries, and organ transplants, there remains a gap for the masses to receive such miracles. According to the August 2023 Press Release of the Philippine Statistics Authority, these gaps reveal catastrophic financial expenses and a lack of information through proper localization as an issue that confronts many (PSA, 2023; PIDS, 2022). To those struggling with this, Universal healthcare (UHC) was unfortunately not weaved for them.
To achieve genuine UHC, the Philippines requires a capable, efficient, well-run, and accountable healthcare system that meets the health priorities and needs of over 100 million Filipinos. It must have a well-educated public, with access to not only essential medicine and technologies but also to basic information to help assist and determine diseases and medical problems.
It is worth noting that localization also plays a critical role in allowing the public to spark interest in the information presented without the risk of dehumanizing their lack of knowledge. It involves adapting content or knowledge to a specific locale, all while considering the local language used, culture, and way of living of the masses. Localization with its many aspects allows for a unique and humane approach to engaging the grassroots, while also acting as a creative platform for preserving the language. A motivated public, in this sense, can assist struggling health workers, lessening complications and lowering risk percentages of diseases, teenage pregnancy, and unnecessary deaths.
The Philippine Clinical Standards Manual on Family Planning serves as the benchmark for family planning and contraceptive services in the Philippines. It offers current guidelines on clinical practices involving established family planning methods, along with details on newer options. Through the creation of siMANA: Katungod han mga Kababayin-an han ira Kahimsogang Panreproduktibo (siMANA: A Waray-Waray Digital Adaptation Kit on Women’s Reproductive Health Care Rights), this affirms the commitment of ensuring that quality family planning services are received by the masses through proper localization (Waray-waray) of practices and information that are on par with international standards. This project aims to provide a concise seven-page creative toolkit and comprehensive documentation as a user-friendly and dependable resource for women in Eastern Visayas. Through this endeavor, we contribute to the pursuit of universal healthcare, ensuring the effectiveness of our health initiatives by providing the appropriate type and quality of treatment to people in greatest need.
You may view the detailed paper on Women’s Reproductive Healthcare Rights through: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15gUZs-DredJIUU4OW9S5BJyh-z51Tqnmq4l6tw4xwLM/edit.
Jenelle Jumalon was born on September 2, 2003, in Catarman Northern Samar. She took up her secondary education at the University of Eastern Philippines Laboratory High School (UEPLHS) and is now a third-year Bachelor of Arts Political Science student at the University of the Philippines Tacloban College. This twenty-year-old student is an active member of various socio-civic, civil society, and geography-based organizations such as UP Halcyon, UP Hingyap, Amnesty International, and PULSO Han Mag-Aaaram. She has also served a term in the UP Tacloban Student Council and has spearheaded various social initiatives starting in 2017 and is a vocal Human Rights advocate and activist at present.