DOH to expand coverage of family planning program

MANILA, Philippines –  While supporting the need to limit the size of families, the Department of Health (DOH) will also help married couples with fertility problems have children.

Dr. Ed Janairo, DOH director for National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said the health department is including artificial insemination in its educational campaign and is considering its inclusion in the benefits package of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

“We will re-position the concept of family planning. We will not be talking only about contraceptives or natural methods. We will be talking about family care, family health,” he said.

For decades, the population management programs of the DOH have been focused on limiting the size of the family. Janario said, however, that it is also important to provide help to couples who cannot produce children.            

“We are talking of choice so why focus only on the choice of those who do not want to get pregnant,” he said.

“We are talking of responsible parenthood but how can you be a parent without any child? If a couple wants to have a baby, we’ll try to help them,” he said.

The department’s family planning program has taken a big leap under the Aquino administration, which allowed the procurement of contraceptives.

Under the nine-year Arroyo administration, the decision to procure contraceptives was left to the local government units.