Project LAYA strengthens long-acting family planning services in the Philippines

Project LAYA (Long-Acting Methods for Your Access) has reached a significant milestone in its efforts to expand access to voluntary and long-acting family planning services in the Philippines. As part of this initiative, regional competency-based clinical skills training for healthcare workers has been successfully completed. These trainings aim to help women and couples plan healthier pregnancies, even before conception. Implemented through the collaboration of organizations such as Bayer, Jhpiego Philippines, and Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood, Inc., the project is brought to life with the contributions of local governments and public health facilities. This step makes a significant contribution to the expansion of quality and rights-based reproductive health services by supporting the country's FP2030 commitments.

The training programs were conducted in three different groups in the Laguna, Batangas, and Cavite regions. More than 60 doctors, nurses, and midwives were trained during the two-day Levonorgestrel 2-Rod Progestin Subdermal Implant Clinical Skills Training. Participants from public health facilities and local health units were equipped with the skills to provide quality and client-centered family planning counseling. Through this training, healthcare personnel acquired the necessary competence to administer modern family planning methods. Thus, the aim is to provide higher-quality services to women and couples in the region.

This regional training program indicates the completion of the first phase of Project LAYA's implementation in selected priority areas in the CALABARZON region and the National Capital Region (NCR). The completion of this phase is considered part of a broader scale-up process for the project. The trainings covered nine public hospitals, including Laguna Medical Center, Batangas Medical Center, General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital, and Southern Tagalog Regional Hospital. Additionally, nine city health offices from localities such as Santa Rosa, Biñan, Calamba, Batangas City, Tanauan, Lipa, General Trias, Dasmariñas, and Bacoor took an active role in the process.

Bayer Philippines Government Relations Manager Christine Elaine Peralta emphasized the importance her company's corporate strategy places on sustainability and women's health. Peralta stated that women's access to reproductive health information and modern family planning options empowers them to make informed decisions about their own futures. She noted that Project LAYA reflects a commitment to women's health in line with these goals. The company's goal of providing women in low- and middle-income countries with access to modern contraceptive methods by 2030 supports this project. Through this initiative, the aim is to strengthen health systems and bring reproductive health services closer to communities.

Family planning not only helps women and couples achieve their desired family size and birth spacing, but it also lays the foundation for good health before pregnancy. Proper counseling services, which allow individuals to plan when and how to become pregnant, make it easier for women to prepare for pregnancy at a time when they are physically ready and healthier. Appropriate birth spacing directly contributes to improving both maternal and child health outcomes. Thanks to the long-acting and modern contraceptive methods provided in this context, planned pregnancies are promoted. The goals of Project LAYA aim to tangibly realize these broad health benefits of family planning at the local level.