Prenatal care highest in R-7

CEBU, Philippines — Central Visayas recorded the highest antenatal care (ANC) coverage among all regions in the country at 64.3 percent, or about six in 10 women aged 15–49 who had a live birth, as of 2025, according to data presented during a recent forum by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Cebu City.

In contrast, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) posted the lowest ANC coverage at 14.0 percent.

LeopoldoAlfanta Jr., chief statistical specialist of the Statistical Operations and Coordination Division of PSA-7, presented the findings on maternal health in the region at the Regional Dissemination Forum on Key Indicators for the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) on May 21.

Data also showed that the percentage of women in Central Visayas who received ANC from a skilled provider, including a doctor, nurse, or midwife, for their most recent live birth, declined from 86.3 percent in 2022 to 76 percent in 2025.

Similarly, the percentage of women who received a postnatal check-up from a doctor, nurse, midwife, or traditional birth attendant (hilot) within the first two days after giving birth, dropped from 91.2 percent in 2022 to 77.5 percent in 2025.

Despite these declines, the region recorded improvements in maternal immunization. About three in four women aged 15–49 received tetanus toxoid injections during their most recent pregnancy to protect their babies against neonatal tetanus, reflecting an increase from 66.6 percent in 2022 to 79.2 percent in 2025.

Data on ANC trends in Central Visayas over the past 32 years showed that the proportion of women with a live birth who received ANC from a skilled provider rose from 90.8 percent in 2003 to 97.5 percent in 2013. However, the figures began to decline starting in 2017, eventually reaching 76 percent in 2025.

Meanwhile, the percentage of women with at least four ANC visits steadily increased from 72.9 percent in 2003 to 91.4 percent in 2013, followed by a decline to 88.6 percent in 2017, and later climbed to 94 percent in 2025.

Coverage of eight or more ANC visits also showed long-term gains, rising from 26.1 percent in 2003 to 50.1 percent in 2017. Although it declined to 41 percent in 2022, the figure rebounded to 64.3 percent in 2025.

Alfanta also presented data on postnatal care trends in Central Visayas.

The percentage of women who received a postnatal check-up within the first two days after a live birth improved from 49.6 percent in 2008 to 90.2 percent in 2017. However, the rate declined after 2022, falling to 77.5 percent in 2025, placing the region ninth nationwide based on the recorded percentage.

Meanwhile, health facility-based deliveries in the region continued to demonstrate a sustained upward trend since 2008, according to Alfanta.

Institutional deliveries slightly decreased to 99.1 percent in 2025 from 99.2 percent in 2022, though the figure remained considerably higher than the 88.7 percent recorded in 2017.

Similarly, 99 percent or 99 out of 100 live births were assisted by a skilled provider in 2025, an increase from 96.1 percent in 2022. — Marjorey B. Cantila, CNU Intern/MRM (FREEMAN)