Midwives, attendants brave hostile conditions in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines —  The dedication of licensed barrio midwives and trained "hilots," or birth attendants, in hostile territories remain high, unfazed by security problems threatening their workplaces.

None from among the more than 100 midwives and traditional Moro and Christian hilots that joined Wednesday's "Paanakan Congress" of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) manifested intention to stop serving in far-flung areas due to threats from extremist groups, kidnap-for-ransom gangs, and extortionists.

The congress, organized by the ARMM's regional health department, was held at the Estosan Hotel here.

The activity provided health workers in the region, including community-based hilots, a chance to discuss particular challenges and difficulties they face everyday in providing free maternal and child care services to rural folks.

Physician Kadil Sinolinding Jr., ARMM's regional health secretary, said the workers who joined the event also shared their experiences on "innovative services" that facilitated their duties.

Besides their zeal to serve, barrio midwives and hilots in the autonomous region are also known for their tireless effort to educate people on the need for multi-sectoral cooperation in ensuring their safety in the barrios.

There were recent abductions of health workers in the autonomous region, but the incidents did not dampen the spirit of the DOH-ARMM's rank-and-file personnel to work for the needy, Sinolinding said.

Sinolinding himself started as an ordinary barrio doctor in Pagalungan, Maguindanao.

Sinolinding said they are thankful to the region's chief executive, ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, for continuously supporting the activities of the regional health department.

"We also ought to thank the central office of the DOH and Health Secretary Enrique Ona for helping sustain our operational needs and other requirements," he added.

The ARMM's midwives and hilots were dissapointed with the suspension of the national government's construction of 100 health stations in the autonomous region using grants from the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional.

Participants to Wednesday's congress agreed to intensify their efforts in lowering maternal and child mortality in the region.

Sinolinding, citing reports from the health offices in the ARMM provinces, said the region had remarkably low maternal and child death statistics in recent years.

The ARMM covers Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, which are both in mainland Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.