tailieunhanh - POPULATION, HEALTH AND WOMEN

Midwives are autonomous professionals whose unique and specialist contribution affects the whole population: each of us at the time of birth, the great majority of people who become parents and the half of these who become mothers. Women and their families expect a service that provides clear communication and explanations, effective teamwork, a safe care environment and continuity of care. The midwife’s role is to ensure that these expectations are understood and met. Midwives, in partnership with other members of the multidisciplinary team – for example, obstetricians, general practitioners, health visitors/public health practitioners and maternity support workers/maternity care assistants – face the challenge of meeting the. | Journal of Philippine Development Number 38 Volume XXI Nos. 1 2 First Second Semesters 1994 POPULATION HEALTH AND WOMEN Alejandro N. Herrin INTRODUCTION There are several issues regarding women s health women s reproductive behavior the fertility impact of reproductive health programs and the effect of gender roles and expectations on all of these. First there is a recurring theme in discussions about women s health that women have a poorer health status than men because they are not getting the health care that they need as a result of gender bias. Second there are those who argue that the current emphasis on maternal health including fertility regulation only serves to deflect attention to the real concern of improving women s health as individuals with the right to health and not solely as mothers Mason 1994 . Third it has also been argued that population programs should move away from their emphasis on fertility reduction through family planning to individual health and reproductive choice that is the objectives of family planning programs should be to assist individuals to achieve their reproductive goals in a healthful way rather than to reduce fertility Germain and Faunders 1994 . In response the question has been raised whether a population program that thus shifts its emphasis will be effective in lowering fertility if fertility reduction is also a national objective. This paper attempts to put together recently available information in the Philippines that could help sort out these interlocking issues. The analysis of available national data reveals several interesting findings as the subsequent sections of this paper will show. First women s health problems manifest themselves in different ways. However there does not appear from the data examined evidence of gender bias in the 342 JOURNAL OF PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT Utilization of health care services. Second women s health can be improved by addressing high risk fertility behavior. Thus the emphasis on .