The Department of Health (DOH) is looking at ways to get family planning commodities to the grassroots level better, faster and easier.

“We are working on it. We are hoping these will be available throughout the country and that women and couples who have chosen to use these family planning commodities would actually have access to them, as well as to all services with regard to reproductive health,” DOH spokesperson Dr. Eric Tayag said.

Tayag said there were many factors hampering the distribution of family planning commodities to

local communities.

“We face difficult challenges, including of course the recent Supreme Court (SC) issuance,” he said. “For one, we have stopped the distribution of contraceptive implants because it was part of the SC temporary restraining order.”

Gov’t plea denied

The Supreme Court has denied the government’s petition to lift the restraining order on the procurement, sale, distribution, dispensing, administration and promotion of contraceptive implants.

“Secondly, the other distribution failures may be related to our couriers and so we are trying to fix that problem. Thirdly, this has something to do with the logistic supply chain management. Some of the LGUs may have encountered a stock-out and this causes problems for mothers who should have access but did not get the family planning commodities,” Tayag said.

“In the interim, we established a call center that allows us to monitor the stocks, one that allows the DOH to receive requests or info about stock-outs so that replacements are made easier and faster. It’s being institutionalized, it’s housed at the Population Commission… We want to make sure that in the future our logistic supply is at par with international standards and we’re working with our partners so we can find sustainable solutions,” he added.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.