Ladies, free checkups await you at nine Iloilo City health centers

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Women in Iloilo City can access multiple health services in a single visit as the City Health Office rolls out its One-Stop Integrated Health Service Delivery at the city’s nine district main health centers.

The CHO said the services of the “Healthy Ka, Ilongga!” initiative are free of charge and will run from March 16 to 20, in observance of National Women’s Month.

National Women’s Month is observed every March in the Philippines under Proclamation No. 224, series of 1988, to recognize the role of Filipino women in nation-building and to promote gender equality, health, and empowerment.

CHO Safe Motherhood Program Coordinator Mary Joy Rapadas said the initiative aims to improve access to essential health services, promote women’s health, and empower women through comprehensive and client-friendly care.

Target beneficiaries include women of reproductive age, pregnant and postpartum mothers, female adolescents, and senior citizens.

“Through this initiative, we hope to improve access to preventive healthcare, increase awareness on women’s health, and promote healthy lifestyles among Ilongga women,” she stressed.

Services include medical consultation, dental services, noncommunicable disease risk assessment, tuberculosis screening, family planning services, cervical cancer screening, and adolescent health assessment.

Beneficiaries can also avail of maternal and reproductive health services such as prenatal and postnatal consultations, family planning counseling, and breastfeeding support.

Rapadas further urged pregnant women to complete the recommended eight prenatal visits, receive iron supplementation, undergo nutrition assessments, and get the first dose of tetanus vaccine to reduce maternal and infant risks.

“Safe Motherhood is our priority. We aim for zero maternal deaths in Iloilo City by ensuring mothers and babies receive quality care from pregnancy to postpartum,” she said.

CHO data for 2025 showed that the city logged six maternal deaths, of which three were residents of Iloilo City.

The district health centers will also offer cancer prevention services, including visual inspection using acetic acid and Pap smears.

Rapadas emphasized that the program responds to challenges faced by women, mothers, and adolescents in accessing multiple health services due to distance, time constraints, and limited awareness of available programs.