ILOILO CITY: Three government hospitals in Iloilo, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Visayas Health Project, are giving young parents access to services through the Program for Young Parents (PYP). First pioneered at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital (IPH) in 2014, PYP was also eventually established in two more hospitals – Balasan District Hospital, which services young parents in Northern Iloilo, and Western Visayas Sanitarium at Sta. Barbara – for catch-up municipalities in central Iloilo. IPH Director Dr. Prem Parcon said the selected maternal services at the IPH for teenage mothers include prenatal visits, deliveries and postpartum visits. The assistance of PYP and health zone delivery network is a practical demonstration of how referral mechanisms can work effectively. As a result, more teenage moms are given access to a range of services best suited to their needs and ensure better maternal and child health outcomes. The PYP and health zone network would be able to contribute to reducing teen moms with rapid repeat pregnancies.LYDIA C. PENDON
