Barangay Captain Hermogenes Galang said the birthing facility would now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to serve the public.
“I am very happy that our birthing center is officially PhilHealth-accredited because it can really help our residents,” Galang told SunStar Cebu on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
Galang confirmed that before the Covid-19 pandemic, when the birthing center was not yet accredited by PhilHealth, it operated only 12 hours daily.
“It really is an advantage for the community, especially that there are midwives on standby and we have the proper types of equipment there to accommodate patients already,” he added.
The Barangay Council members formally relaunched the birthing center during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, June 10, following its closure in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Long-term goal
In a separate interview, Barangay Councilor Randy Gorion, chairperson of the health committee, said obtaining the accreditation had been the council’s long-term goal.
“When the chairmanship was given to me in 2020, I was given a task by Captain Galang to work on the accreditation of the birthing center,” said Gorion.
He revealed that they have hired licensed medical professionals and acquired high-grade medical equipment to obtain a license to operate from the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH 7) and the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD).
Maternity package
Gorion said pregnant women will be able to access maternity care packages, including prenatal care and birthing, all of which will be covered by PhilHealth.
They will also provide postnatal care that includes counseling on family planning, maternal mental health, nutrition and hygiene, and gender-based violence.
Gorion, however, noted that these will only be limited to PhilHealth members, to encourage those who wish to avail of the maternity package to enroll themselves in the government-run health insurance corporation.
He said that when the birthing center first opened in 2016 up to its closure in 2020, expecting mothers who wished to avail of labor services paid a minimal amount not exceeding P1,000; however, this time, it will be completely free.
Open to others
Gorion said that unlike before, the birthing center will cater not only to residents of Barangay Tejero but also to residents of other barangays.
He said now that it is accredited with PhilHealth, it can assist residents, particularly from adjacent barangays, including Barangays T. Padilla, Tinago, Lorega and Carreta.
Gorion added that Barangay Tejero is only the 12th of the 80 barangays in Cebu City to have a PhilHealth-accredited birthing center.
According to the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Tejero has 14,084 residents that are broken down into 3,451 households or an average of four members per household.
