This statement is being issued as the Commission on Human Rights is investigating news reports of a woman dying of childbirth complications after being turned away by several hospitals.

Pregnant mothers and newborn babies are among those who are highly susceptible to infectious diseases, including COVID-19. In disease outbreaks, such as what we are experiencing today, the tendency to channel resources to address the most immediate problem – treating COVID-19 patients and stemming the transmission of the virus – may affect access to maternal and infant health services. The fear of being infected with the novel coronavirus also deters pregnant women from going to health care facilities for checkups and even deliveries. Some hospitals and doctors have been utilizing technology to do prenatal checkups, but studies show the difficulty in tracking high-risk pregnancies in virtual consultations. Babies and infants whose immune systems are not yet fully developed are likewise prone to contracting infectious diseases if proper measures are not in place.

Even with challenges brought about by the COVID-19, the right to health of women and children must continue be protected. International and domestic laws are replete with provisions that mandate the protection of maternal and infant health and the prevention of mortality occasioned by childbirth. These are also included in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

As the Gender Ombud under the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710) and pursuant to the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act (10354), we urge the Department of Health to issue appropriate protocols and guidelines for all health care facilities in attending to the needs of pregnant mothers and babies. We recommend that these protocols and guidelines must, at the minimum:

• Ensure uninterrupted access to sexual and reproductive health services without discrimination;
• Ensure the health of obstetric care providers, such as by providing them with and requiring them to use personal protective equipment;
• Provide clean and separate facilities for childbirth and neonatal care, where possible, to ensure safe birth;
• Provide unhampered services to pregnant women, those in labor and delivery, and lactating mothers;
• Promote the use of technology in prenatal and postnatal checkups, bearing in mind limitations;
• Ensure the availability of COVID-19 test kits in childbirth facilities, should the same be needed;
• Mandate the continued practice of physical distancing and other precautionary measures; and
• Guarantee access to health care facilities by complying with laws such as the anti-hospital deposit law (R.A. No. 10932) and anti-hospital detention law (R.A. No. 9439), among others.

A well-managed health care system is critical in minimizing, if not eliminating, the exposure of pregnant mothers and babies to COVID-19. The Commission on Human Rights is one with the national government in protecting maternal and infant health, especially in the wake of this public health emergency.