Manila: The Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP), in partnership with Organon (Philippines), Inc., launched the Midwives Summit 2025, a landmark event aimed at strengthening the role of midwives in advancing universal health coverage (UHC) and expanding access to reproductive health services nationwide.
According to Philippines News Agency, the summit convened midwives, government leaders, development partners, and advocates to highlight the vital contributions of midwives to women's health, family planning, and community development. IMAP Executive Director Patricia Gomez emphasized the importance of the summit as a platform for midwives to gain new knowledge, strengthen practical skills, and renew their shared passion for advancing women's health.
Family planning, recognized as the cornerstone of reproductive health and community well-being, is a key focus of the event. Experts highlighted the central role midwives play in expanding women's choices and ensuring timely, quality care, especially in rural and underserved areas. IMAP and its partners stressed the importance of empowering midwives as primary care providers within the UHC framework, which includes scaling up training programs, strengthening mentorship, and ensuring continuous professional development to maintain service quality.
Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood president Bernabe Marinduque noted the need for midwives to evolve into strong advocates for women's rights in the context of a total fertility rate of 1.9 and increasing adverse dialogue against family planning. He emphasized the importance of midwives taking initiative and leadership to scale up training and skills enhancement among their members.
The summit also featured updates on national family planning policies and insights from development partners on sustaining midwifery programs. Discussions underscored that universal access to reproductive health services aligns with both national priorities and global UHC goals.
On the sidelines of the summit, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa addressed reporters about the declining number of midwives due to regulatory changes in scholarship management. He highlighted the transfer of midwifery scholarships from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2024, which has different requirements. Herbosa plans to engage with CHED to ensure DOH involvement in scholarship planning and release.
Herbosa also pointed out the issue of low salaries for midwives, many of whom are graduates of a two-year diploma program. However, a four-year Bachelor of Science in Midwifery is offered nationwide to enhance the role and functions of a midwife, providing more job options and a higher level of training. He noted that certain health policies require first and fifth pregnancies to be delivered in health facilities due to higher health risks, reducing opportunities for midwives' services. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that trained midwives are capable of handling normal deliveries and identifying risks in patients.
Meanwhile, Commission on Population and Development Executive Director Lisa Bersales highlighted ongoing challenges in women's and children's health, including persistent unplanned fertility among low-income women, stunting among one-third of Filipino children under five, and unchanged mortality rates for infants and young children. She emphasized the urgency of strengthening maternal and reproductive health services.
For Organon Philippines, the summit reflects its global commitment to advancing women's health through partnerships with healthcare professionals and government agencies. Organon is a global healthcare company focused on women's health and biosimilars, with a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across therapeutic areas improving women's health outcomes.
Through this summit, IMAP and Organon reaffirmed their shared mission to uplift women's lives by empowering midwives - the frontliners of reproductive health - to lead, advocate, and innovate in the service of Filipino families.
