Unang Yakap

Unang Yakap

The Unang Yakap 4&5, or "The First Embrace", is the campaign of the Philippines Department of Health (DOH), in cooperation with WHO, to adopt and embrace the safe and quality care of Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care (EINC) for birthing mothers and their newborns.

The DOH, in 2009, began a hospital-based initiative to change childbirth practices to EINC. This iniative called Scale up EINC Project, with support from WHO and the Joint Programme on Maternal and Neonatal Health (JPMNH), was piloted in 11 hospitals. This project is fondly referred as Unang Yakap 4&5.

Since 2010, selected DOH-retained hospitals were trained on EINC evidence-based standards and consequently adopted them. EINC represents the highest standards for safe and quality care for birthing mothers and healthy newborns with 48 hours of intrapartum period and up to a week of life of the newborn.

Adoption of the EINC evidenced-based standards helps reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and deaths. It also supports the Philippine Government commitment to the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 by year 2015.

Initial results of the Unang Yakap campaign were extremely positive. Admissions to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) dropped, neonatal sepsis rates were reduced, maternal and newborn deaths decreased and more satisfied mothers. Hence, more and more hospitals and health professionals are embracing and providing EINC care.