Abstract:
As the environment changes rapidly, more natural disasters such as typhoons
may inflict destruction to communities and institutions. Vulnerable groups, like
mothers and children, could be among the most affected with its impacts. It is then
imperative to study how natural disasters impact access of vulnerable groups to
essential health services in the community. This study aims to trace the changes in the
accessibility of maternal and child health (MCH) services at Pintuyan Rural Health Unit
(RHU) pre- and post-Typhoon Odette. It also seeks to determine the integration of
MCH in local disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plans. Results show
that Typhoon Odette has affected various enabling, need, and health system factors in
accessing MCH services, including housing and living conditions, evacuation
experience, livelihood and income, and provision of aid. It has also been determined
that there are only minimal and temporary changes in the dimensions of access pre-and
post-Odette. This shows that while improvements in the dimensions of access are being
made, the socio-economic vulnerabilities of mothers and children remain unaddressed.
This should prompt the local government to consider the intersectionality of
vulnerabilities experienced by mothers, pregnant women, and children. There is also
limited integration of maternal and child health in local disaster risk reduction and
management (DRRM) plans. These results point to the need to overhaul the DRRM
plans to consider the unique experiences of mothers and children before, during, and
after typhoons.
