Background: On 8 November 2013, super-typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines severely disrupting health service delivery. Re-establishment of essential services for birthing mothers and their newborns became high priority.
Methodology: Following a baseline assessment, an Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care (EINC) training package was implemented and post-training assessments (1 and 3- months post-training) undertaken.
Results: Baseline assessments (n=56 facilities) revealed gaps in provider’s skill and shortage of life-saving commodities. Facilities lacked newborn bags/masks (9%), towels (6%), and magnesium sulfate (39%). Service providers lacked skills in partograph use (54%) and antenatal steroid (44%) use, and breastfeeding initiation (50%). At 3 months posttraining (n=51 facilities), dramatic increases in correct partograph use (to 92%), antenatal steroid use (to 98%), breastfeeding initiation (to 86%), kangaroo mother care (to 94%),
availability of magnesium sulfate (to 94%), and bag/masks (to 88%) were documented. Gaps persisted for skills in assisted vaginal delivery and removal of placental fragments.
Conclusion: Health services were severely disrupted after super-typhoon Haiyan. Our study demonstrates that essential birthing services and quality improvements to strengthen local health systems can be restored in a timely manner even in immediate post-disaster settings.