Personnel of Natonin Municipal Police Station teamed up with residents of Sitio Batnong, Banawal, Natonin, Mountain Province to take to the closest hospital a pregnant woman experiencing placenta previa.
Placenta previa occurs when a baby's placenta partially or totally covers the mother's cervix - the outlet for the uterus. Placenta previa can cause severe bleeding during pregnancy and delivery. Mothers with placenta previa are also at higher risk of delivering prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
The Natonin Municipal Police Station is currently conducting the Flag Raising Ceremony for Independence Day on June 12 this year, when a pregnant woman who needed to be brought to the hospital was phoned to their station.
PSSg Darel Bacwadang, one of the personnel of Natonin MPS, immediately responded and headed to the patient, where he would walk for nearly an hour before reaching Sitio Batnong. Even though his charol shoes were uncomfortable, PSSg Bacwadang did not care but continued to walk to reach the patient's location.
Because Sitio Batnong is so remote and out of reach of vehicles, PSSg Bacwadang and the residents of the sitio have to carry the patient through their Bayanihan practice called "FULIG" or "ambulansiyang de paa (foot ambulance)" where they would walk again for about an hour before transferring the patient to a standby vehicle.
"FULIG" is a traditional Igorot practice performed by carrying a sick person who needs to be taken to the hospital or patients who have just been discharged from the hospital using a blanket and bamboo or a tube. It is carried out in remote and secluded areas out of reach of vehicles.
The lady was safely taken to Anastacia Rafael Sagel Memorial Hospital, Poblacion, Natonin for proper medical treatment.
