The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Centro (SRC), District 3820, held an event as Women’s Month Cerebration including ligation service provided free by Marie Stopes.

*IPP Theodora Lucero (Doray) is a midwife and opens her own house as a lying-in clinic in barangay Ibaba, Santa Rosa, Laguna. RIMM members visited and observed the ligation activities.
*SRC was founded in 2001 and consists of 22 members who are all female.
*Presently SRC holds the event for ligation with Marie Stopes once a year only in the women’s month (March) but may conduct it more often in the future.
*SRC started this event with Marie Stopes in March 2014 and it was their 2nd time. Their target was indigents and SRC members spent 3 days visiting 18 barangays in Santa Rosa to announce the event.
*The ‘everything free’ event included pap smear tests and prenatal check-ups by IPP’s friends and volunteer doctors (performed in addition to ligation and vasectomy conducted by Marie Stopes).
*Anti-biotic and pain relief medication were donated by the mayor of Santa Rosa who is female and also the current president of SRC.

– MS fund source is Marie Stopes International (HQ in UK).

– MS has 9 offices in the Philippines.

• Luzon: Pasay/Pangasinan
• Visayas: Cebu/Tacloban/Catbalogan
• Mindanao: Davao/Uzamis/Cagayan De Oro/Iligan

– MS has free ligation schedules almost everyday in different places. 2 or more month prior scheduling is usually required.

– MS Pasay office covers Manila/Batangas/Laguna/Quezon/Cavite/Bulacan/Marinduque/Mindoro. (Metro Manila such as Malate and Pasay are not covered as some private hospitals provide ligations and conflicts with their free service.)

– Non-Philhealth holders are accepted.

– MS works with local government unit (LGU) but private organizers can be involved including indigents who are actually their main target.

– MS has total 9 doctors in the Philippines (1 doctor/office). Their Pasay office has 2 doctors and 50 nurses & midwives. They are all paid workers.

– MS provides free IUD insertions through nurses & midwives. It is scheduled separately from ligation schedules.

– Minimum 30 qualified women per time are required for ligation. Therefore about 50-60 women need to be assembled for screening considering some disqualification.

– MS also provides vasectomy and it can be mixed with ligation operations as the same doctor performs the surgery. Marie Stopes (MS) provides P300 for vasectomized person to replenish income for the day which would work as an incentive. However, only 20 – 30 vasectomies are conducted per year in the Philippines.

– MS ligation method is “mini-laparoscopy” with local anesthesia only. According to their standard, no surgical room is required so MS often uses barangay health centers to perform it. MS has all the equipments and tools for mini-laparoscopic surgery.

– MS said they have ligated women with 97kg. Blood pressure up to 150 on systolic is acceptable. Women who have done cesarean section are not qualified but IUD can be applied.

– MS supplies post surgery medication for 7 days.

RIMM looks for an active organizer who can assemble women for free ligation. RIMM can provide transportation for indigents and lunch/snack/drinks for qualified women. Please contact us for more details.