The Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the Embassy of Israel and private sector stakeholders, on Tuesday launched a women’s health and wellness center at Rizal Medical Center to strengthen preventive and holistic care for Filipino women.

The facility, known as the ISHA Women’s Health and Wellness Center, was inaugurated during the celebration of National Women’s Month, highlighting expanded efforts to improve maternal health services and early disease detection.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa underscored the importance of prioritizing women’s health as a fundamental right.

“We emphasize every woman’s right to a quality life, which is free from illness and enables her to carry out her many roles in the community,” Herbosa said.

He said the ISHA project adopts a “holistic approach” to healthcare, focusing on preventive services such as “comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care among pregnant women and timely cervical cancer screening.”

“The comprehensive prenatal and postnatal support allows pregnant women to ensure optimal health and avoid potential complications throughout their pregnancy, up to and ’til their delivery,” he added.

Herbosa also noted recent enhancements in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) benefits, including expanded coverage for antenatal and postnatal care, as well as increased benefits for normal delivery and cesarean sections.

“The increased frequency of visits allows more extensive care, encompassing nutritional supplementation, immunization, essential screening tests, and informed decision-making in family planning,” he said.

Israel Ambassador Dana Kirsch described the initiative as a symbol of deepening cooperation between the Philippines and Israel in healthcare.

“It is really a very, very small gesture of the importance that the State of Israel and the people of Israel attach to the Philippines’ leadership and people,” she said, adding that the project reflects a shared commitment to “a holistic approach of women, taking care of women from the day they give birth to the day they are in menopause.”

Kirsch said the center is part of an ongoing partnership that will include knowledge exchange and training between Filipino and Israeli medical professionals.

“This is not just a one-day [project], it’s an ongoing partnership of Filipinos and Israeli doctors, finding the best solution for women’s health in the Philippines,” she said.

The project was developed through collaboration among the Embassy of Israel, the Makati Medical Center Foundation, and Rizal Medical Center (RMC), with support from government officials and local leaders.

RMC chief Dr. Maria Rica Lumague said the project will offer comprehensive healthcare services for Filipino women, covering all stages from preconception to postnatal care, officials said.

“We have the genetic counseling, and we also have the fertility clinic. And then for pregnancy and childbirth, we have the antenatal clinics, the fetal anomaly scan, high-risk pregnancy management, labor and delivery, and emergency cesarean section. And then we also have the ultrasound,” she said.

The center is equipped with modern technologies, including point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), a mobile surgery operating table, and a maternal-fetal monitoring system that enables centralized monitoring of patients in obstetrics and intensive care units.

Services also include postpartum and newborn care, such as mental health support, breastfeeding counseling, and access to a human milk bank for premature infants.

Other services include neonatology, menstrual health management, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, cervical cancer screening, family planning, and gynecologic consultations.

“So, some of the services are already available. We will probably have a more formal launch sometime in October when all of the documents are signed and we are officially able to launch the whole program,” Lumague said.

“Since Rizal Medical Center is under the national government, we are not limiting it to a particular catchment population… we do not turn down patients even if they come from outside,” she added.

The hospital currently has a 350-bed capacity and is authorized to expand to 500 beds once its new building is completed. (PNA)