available. There is also acknowledgment from health workers that there is difficulty in meeting
the standards of doctor/nurse/midwife ratio to population served.
15.4. In Mindanao, concerns have been raised on the failure to engage indigenous and
religious leaders in the reproductive health agenda and to engage them in information
dissemination on reproductive health and rights. Barriers in accessing reproductive health
services include lack of information and misinformation on reproductive health, breakdown of
service delivery networks, religious and cultural barriers, and unprofessional and / or unethical
practices of health service providers. Instances of misinformation due to religion or culture
have also been documented which were shown to have affected women and men’s willingness
to access reproductive health services. In some cases, while women are generally aware of
the available services, they are unwilling to avail of such services due to misplaced religious
beliefs or cultural practices. For instance, while a ‘fatwa’ has been issued on the acceptability
of reproductive health in Islam, not all Moro women are aware of the same. For indigenous
peoples, while elders claim that it is not against indigenous culture, some women refuse to
avail of services believing they are breaking cultural or that they have to seek the consent of
their husbands. These led to recommendations on the need to improve information
dissemination not only on available goods and services, but also to include men, traditional
and religious leaders in the reproductive health agenda.