WITHOUT the WHITECOAT
Family Planning in the work place
Last Friday, June 23, 2006, a multi-sectoral initiative to address our country's ballooning population was launched. The Private Sector Mobilization for Family Planning (PRISM), USAID (United States Agency for International Development), DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment), and the local chapter of the Philippine College of Occupational Medicine started a training course in Family Welfare Program in the Workplace and Contraceptive Technology Update. By virtue of a MOA signed in Manila the national chapter of PCOM have agreed to work hand in hand with PRISM to further push forward the concepts of contraception and Family Planning in the workplace. This may just be a complete solution to our population problem but it will surely make its mark.
Some of Metro Iloilo's practicing Occupational Medicine Specialists attended the training course and hopefully will implement it fully in their respective companies and establishments. Another question that strikes us all is, how about the rest of the companies that mostly employ a large number of the female population? The local chapter of PCOM cannot do anything, relative to the implementation of the law; it is now the function of the Department of Labor and Employment. The HR departments of the companies should have been there, since it is primarily tasked to implement these programs.
Family Planning in the workplace was explained to us by Ms. Emma M. Magsino, regional operations director of PRISM (Visayas) who is based in Cebu City. The updates in Family Planning was presented by Dra. Cynthia Garcia, a practicing OB-GYNE in Manila, and is the training specialist of PRISM; Dr. Jean Ahlborg who is the Medical Adviser of the EngenderlHealth, and also a consultant of PRISM, lectured on the contraceptive technology review and updates of all modern methods and management of complications. Dra. Aguirre of PhilHealth briefed us about their agency's program related to Family Planning.
We are hoping to see in the future the implementation of these programs in all establishments and work places. Poverty in our country is not actually rooted in what form of government we have. So, instead of putting more time and resources on how we could shift from presidential to parliamentary government our leaders should focus more on addressing our population problem.