Diciano, D. G. (2016). Developing an incentive-based program to increase first-trimester visit of pregnant women of Basco, Batanes, Philippines (Unpublished master's thesis). Graduate School of Public and Development Management, Development Academy of the Philippines.

Graduate School of Public and Development Management. Health Systems and Development. Batch 6 Thesis (MPM-HSD)--Development Academy of the Philippines.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health prescribes a quality regimen of prenatal visits for pregnant women, that is at least one (1) clinic-visit in first-trimester, one (1) clinic-visit in second trimester, and two (2) clinic-visits in third trimester. This becomes a challenge in rural areas like northernmost tip island in Municipality of Basco, Batanes which only registers an annual average of forty percent (40%) completion rate to the prescribed prenatal-visit regimen. This resulted to morbidities such as anaemia in pregnancy and untreated urinary tract infection that lead to some of the recorded abortions in the municipality. To address the problem, we did a two-stage study where we identified the reasons behind the problem and developed an initiative based on the findings. Based on focus groups and key-informant interviews, it was found that most of those who did not complete their prenatal visits were economically-challenged and pays out-of-pocket fro prenatal laboratories. A pregnant patients pays a minimum of one-thousand one-hundred twenty Philippine pesos for the prescribed prenatal laboratories which includes Pregnancy Test, Complete-Blood Count, Blood Typing, Syphilis Detection Test, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Test, and Blood Sugar Screening. Abdominal Ultrasound is optional and amounts to five-hundred Philippine pesos. Based on consultations , the local-government unit (LGU) of Basco piloted and incentive -based program called Bills ng Buntis Libre (BBL) which pays the prenatal laboratory expenses with the conditions that (1) pregnant women should have their first prenatal-visit within their first-trimester and (2) be active members of PhilHealth, the national health insurance corporation. Preliminary findings show a promising change in the health-seeking behaviour of the pregnant women thus preventing possible or managing early complications thereby by lowering morbidities and mortalities