PopCom’s family planning clinic in Mandaluyong resumes operations

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) wellness clinic offering family planning solutions has resumed its full operations while maintaining health protocols to avoid coronavirus transmissions.

PopCom National Capital Region’s Director Lydio Español said on Tuesday that family planning (FP) services like minor surgeries bilateral tubal ligation, no-scalpel vasectomy, and insertion and removal of implants and intrauterine devices or IUDs, are now available at the PopCom Family Planning Clinic (PWFC).

Executive director and Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III on the other hand added that PWFC also offers reproductive health (RH) services including the provision of injectables, contraceptives, as well as the teaching of natural planning methods.

The clinic is open every Mondays to Fridays, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“Demands for RH/FP services as well as elective procedures have increased with the shifting of the lockdowns to general community quarantine, especially in Metro Manila and nearby areas,” Perez said.

During the enhanced community quarantine periods in Metro Manila and Luzon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, women and child rights advocates warned that the country may see an increase in pregnancies due to the stay-at-home policies, which gives couples more time with each other.

Last June, PopCom admitted that a study on the COVID-19 impact on population, made by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), predicts two million live births for 2020 — of which 214,000 are unplanned.

They attributed the increase to the inability of the agency to address reproductive health needs while areas are under lockdown.

Aside from this, UNFPA also worried that more young girls may be forced into marriage as they get pregnant amid the pandemic while expressing concern on the status of maternal health in the country.

PopCom said interested parties may contact PWFC through (02) 8531-6547 and 09988652810, while guidelines for visiting patients may be obtained from its website. [ac]