Partners in Care: How Midwives and 4Ps Municipal Links Build Healthier Communities

In the heart of Tupi, South Cotabato, an inspiring partnership is quietly transforming the health of mothers and their children from 0 to 24 months. Midwives and Municipal Links from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) are working hand-in-hand to ensure that the most vulnerable families have access to the financial support under the First 1000 days (F1KD), where qualified 4Ps households can receive 350php per month under the set conditions.

For Ms. Eleanor B. Dones, RM, a midwife in a rural health unit for over 23 years, believes that this partnership is a makeshift to their advocacy for a healthier and better community. “We used to see pregnant women coming in too late for prenatal care. Now, we have partners in the implementation, we have better reach.”

That collaboration begins with Municipal Links, the frontline social workers who monitor and guide 4Ps families engage with local communities to raise awareness about the F1KD program. They organize information drives and collaborate with barangay officials to ensure that no eligible household is left behind.

“We’re not just monitoring compliance,” says Ms. Joylyn Solcorites, RSW, a 4Ps Municipal Action Team-leader in Tupi. “We’re educating families, teaching them to develop a health-seeking behavior in the available health care services and facilities provided by the government.”

Based on the report of DSWD XII, there were 26 pregnant and 175 monitored children aged 0-24 months who are beneficiaries of F1KD in the said municipality. Meanwhile, 3,170 children and 826 expectant mothers are currently monitored by the program for the whole region 12.

By showing up consistently and working as a team, midwives and municipal links and even social welfare assistants have become local champions of health.

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