The City’s Health Services Office (HSO) is considering to provide reproductive health services beyond office and class hours to cater to more individuals.

Aileen Refuerzo, chief information officer of the city government, said the local government’s Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health-City Implementing Team (RPRH-CIT) had a meeting before the holidays wherein City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes discussed the plan to set schedules for assessment, testing, and provision of preventive care services or prophylaxis to individuals who cannot visit the health centers during office hours.

She said the team is also considering the possibility of providing drive-through services for individuals who opt to avail of the services discreetly at the Triage area used during the Covid-19 pandemic at the Baguio Convention Center.

The HSO will also provide services on maternal and neonatal health, family planning, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and Gender-Based Violence at the said site, she said.

“There are some individuals who are willing to undergo testing, assessment or even receive the prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but their availability and the scrutinizing eyes of the public are preventing them from pursuing their plan,” Refuerzo said, citing Brillantes.

HSO data show that these services are being provided to individuals as early at 10 years old, due largely to the fact that there are girls who get pregnant at an early age.

Individuals who attended maternal and neonatal services are monitored and those who already delivered babies were tracked quarterly by village health workers and HSO personnel.

Brillantes said they need to further strengthen programs to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths as well as teenage pregnancy through information campaigns alongside ensuring that needed services are accessible to those needing it. (PNA)