DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 21, 2013) – Various stakeholders have banded to further promote the Indigenous Peoples Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition Project-Mindanao or IP MNCHN Project-Mindanao which was recently launched in line with this year’s celebration of Indigenous Peoples Rights Act.
The launching of IP MNCHN Project-Mindanao was held simultaneously in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, Agusan del Sur, and Compostela Valley.
“The beginning of the project a year ago has already led to the formulation of programs and policies that address the maternal, neonatal and child health and nutrition needs of Indigenous Cultural Communities / Indigenous People and other disadvantaged communities in Mindanao,” IP MNCHN project director Dr. Lilibeth Malabanan said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Malabanan said with the signing of Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2013-01 which is the guidelines on the delivery of basic health services for Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples and the formulation of the Ancestral Domain Plan for Health in the project sties, the task to fulfill the best health situation for Indigenous Peoples has become more compelling.
“The project is gaining more stable grounds of multi-sectoral support and coordination as we were able to gather commitment of support from various stakeholders of IP health. We intend to circulate this document in the whole provinces where we have our project sites and collect 1 million signatures as manifestation of a broader support to IP MNCHN needs,” Malabanan said.
She said the project has also completed its baseline studies on IP knowledge, beliefs and practices related to MNCHN, the barriers to health service utilization and gaps in service provision, and basic demographic information.
“The completion of the baseline studies is among the monumental achievements of the project considering the unavailability of information that define and identify the Indigenous Peoples and their health situation. The results of the studies are also helping us lay down our plans and actions in ways that are culturally sensitive and concretely responsive to the health needs of the Indigenous Peoples,” Malabanan said.
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