DLSU-SDRC Forges New Partnerships with Population Services Pilipinas, Incorporated (PSPI) and Fabella Memorial General Hospital
De La Salle University (DLSU) through its Social Development Research Center (SDRC) starts the year 2015 by forging new partnerships with the Population Services Pilipinas, Incorporated (PSPI) and the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in what could be a groundbreaking initiative toward actively involving Middle Level Health Workers in the Philippines’ Health Care quest.
The research project entitled “Developing Competencies of Middle-Level Health Workers and Maximizing their Roles in Task-Sharing in the Philippines” is aimed at building evidence that midwives as middle-level health workers can be competent providers of contraceptive implants. In doing so, the project seeks to capitalize on the role of midwives in task-sharing, actively involving them in more endeavors in the fields of maternal health care, family planning and reproductive health. This will serve as a response to government’s allegedly poor delivery of health services, and the people’s lack of access to reproductive health and family planning services.
To officially start the project, a formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement was held on January 12, 2015 at the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall on the DLSU campus. Representing the University were Br. Dennis Magbanua, OIC, President and Chancellor, and Project Director Dr. Marlon Era, who signed the MOA together with Mr. Virgilio Pernito and Mr. Arnel Rostom C. Deiparine, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer, respectively, of the Population Services Pilipinas, Incorporated (PSPI) and Dr. Esmeraldo Ilem, Director of Family Planning of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. Witnesses to the signing were DLSU Vice Chancellor for Research Innovation Dr. Raymond Girard Tan, PSPI Portfolio Project Officer Mr. Frank Francisco, Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP) Executive Director Ms. Patricia Gomez, and Project Research Associate Ms. Cristina Rodriguez.
The event was attended by representatives from the Commission on Population (POPCOM), Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD), and DLSU faculty, students, and staff.
