An obstetrician-gynecologist is dedicating majority of her TikTok videos to answering inquiries from pregnant mothers as access to health care remains limited due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctor Mirah Borja, also known as “Doctor Mom” or @doctormomph on the mobile video-sharing app, said that she understands the anxiety of mothers-to-be as they go through pregnancy amid a public health crisis.
“In this time of pandemic, access to health care has become limited and this is why I have dedicated majority of my videos to respond to medical inquiries that have been posted on my comments section,” Borja, who has more than 35,000 followers, said in a release.
“I myself went through a pregnancy during this pandemic, and it felt tougher than I had imagined. Like how I felt, I know that there are pregnant mothers out there who wanted to seek consult but fear putting themselves and their babies at risk,” the first-time mom shared.
@doctormomphHi i’m your newest OBGYN Doctor here on Tiktok! If you have any questions & suggestions, please make a comment 😊 #Tiktokmomph #itstartsontiktok #OB♬ original sound – Mirah Borja – Mirah Borja, MD 👩🏻⚕️
One of her videos on the platform talk about the danger signs that people must watch out for during pregnancy, a topic which she said is important to her as a medical professional.
“As an obstetrician, I am very particular about this, and this is what we advise all our patients to watch out for before sending them home. Not only does it assure me that I have well advised my patients, but it also makes my patients feel empowered that she is able to look after her and her baby’s well-being as well,” Borja said.
Pregnancy is tough but it has become tougher amid a public health crisis wherein medical care is extremely high on demand.
The Commission on Population (PopCom) reported that maternal deaths have risen in the country, particularly in Metro Manila, Cebu and Zamboanga.
PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III said that pregnant women could be part of the “collateral damage” in the pandemic.
He cited instances wherein some pregnant women had to be referred from one hospital to another in search of facilities where they can give birth.
Some hospitals, he said, would also advise mothers to give birth in lying-in centers or lower-level hospitals.
Perez said that there are complicated pregnancies which require a higher level of care.
“They’re not really COVID-19 patients. COVID isn’t their problem, they need higher level of care so maybe that is what’s missing and they become collateral damage,” he said.
Perez shared that an analysis made by the University of the Philippines projected the country’s maternal deaths could increase to 1,000 this year.