Development of a barangay health workers performance based incentive system to improve antenatal care in Currimao, Ilocos Norte /
Jasmin Elleine M. Naguit.
Graduate School of Public and Development Management
The goal of antenatal care is to prepare for birth and parenthood, as well as prevent, detect, alleviate, or manage health problems during pregnancy. Barangay health workers play a major part in ensuring that these services are made available to pregnant women. However, motivation and demoralization are hampering the provision of this basic health service. This paper attempts to utilize and maximize the potential of BHWs by the determining the impact of a BHW performance based incentive system on the provision of antennal services of the rural health unit of Currimao Ilocos Norte. Stakeholders' analysis and consultation, data review, focused group discussion as well as bridging leadership principles are the core tools used in this project hence, initiating reform on the payment control knobs of the health sector which this paper was built upon. This paper aims to attain health goal by introducing cost effective intervention that will change a behavior in the barangay health workers and lead to the attainment of improved health outcome and a high customer satisfaction. This paper has successfully presented that performance based incentive system increased antenatal care delivery by increasing proportion of women referred for prenatal check-up, increasing women with tetanus toxoid immunization, and iron and folate supplementation. However, political support, health facility enhancement, Philhealth accreditation are necessary supplement to further realize the potential of the performance incentive in attaining better health outcome, financial risk protection and responsive health system.