Philippine health group urges broader vaccine coverage for pregnant women to cut maternal deaths

Speaking at a Pasay City forum, the Philippine Infectious Diseases Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology urged the inclusion of Tdap, influenza and RSV vaccines in standard antenatal care to address the nation's maternal mortality rate of 119 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024. President Ana Fallarme pointed out that PhilHealth currently covers only the tetanus portion of Tdap, leaving significant out-of-pocket expenses for many families.

She also warned of disparities in vaccine availability among local government units and called for maternal vaccination and complete prenatal check-ups to be incorporated into the LGU-DILG good-governance scorecard. The society highlighted broader gaps in financing, claims processing and care coordination for antenatal services. Following a stakeholder meeting that included PhilHealth representatives, PIDSOG will draft a policy brief for the insurer, which acknowledged coding errors and pledged to help resolve them. The initiative aims to lower the maternal mortality target to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.