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| One of Ormoc’s six district health centers that provide services on infant delivery and newborn screening, all for free. |
ORMOC has been noted for offering free deliveries in its six district health centers but not everyone knows that these birthing clinics also provide free newborn screening (NBS) to infants. NBS is a procedure for early detection of a baby’s mental retardation.
A law requires all infants to undergo this procedure but not all mothers comply because of its P600 price tag. In September 2010 the City Health Office (CHO) included it to its free services. CHO Nurse and NBS coordinator Brenda Penserga said that infants will have to undergo the procedure within 72 hours after their birth.
“Most babies with metabolic disorders look normal at birth,” Penserga explains. By doing NBS, metabolic disorders may be detected even before clinical signs and symptoms are present. As a result, treatment can be given early to prevent consequences of untreated conditions.”
The procedure entails a simple blood extraction by pricking the infant’s heel to detect any of the five mental disorders: Congenital Hypothyrodism, Congenital Adrenial Hyperplasia, Galactosemia, Phynelketonuria and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency.
However, CHO entertains only mothers who have been consistently availing of pre-natal checkups especially during the first three months of their pregnancy to monitor their condition. Unfortunately, this service has been suspended temporarily after the CHO ran out of heel prick kit.
Penserga said a lot of documents are required for the purchase of these kits from Iloilo and takes two months processing time. CHO ordered 1,700 kits good for one year which will arrive on October. This means that infants born at the district health centers this August and September will have take the newborn screening in private hospitals.
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Aug. 6-12, 2012)
A law requires all infants to undergo this procedure but not all mothers comply because of its P600 price tag. In September 2010 the City Health Office (CHO) included it to its free services. CHO Nurse and NBS coordinator Brenda Penserga said that infants will have to undergo the procedure within 72 hours after their birth.
“Most babies with metabolic disorders look normal at birth,” Penserga explains. By doing NBS, metabolic disorders may be detected even before clinical signs and symptoms are present. As a result, treatment can be given early to prevent consequences of untreated conditions.”
The procedure entails a simple blood extraction by pricking the infant’s heel to detect any of the five mental disorders: Congenital Hypothyrodism, Congenital Adrenial Hyperplasia, Galactosemia, Phynelketonuria and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency.
However, CHO entertains only mothers who have been consistently availing of pre-natal checkups especially during the first three months of their pregnancy to monitor their condition. Unfortunately, this service has been suspended temporarily after the CHO ran out of heel prick kit.
Penserga said a lot of documents are required for the purchase of these kits from Iloilo and takes two months processing time. CHO ordered 1,700 kits good for one year which will arrive on October. This means that infants born at the district health centers this August and September will have take the newborn screening in private hospitals.
(West Leyte Weekly Express issue of Aug. 6-12, 2012)
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