The Department of Health in Ilocos Region (DOH-1) has distributed 10 newborn hearing screening units to selected DOH hospitals, provincial and district health facilities, and rural health units (RHUs).
In a statement Tuesday, DOH Ilocos Region Director Paula Paz Sydiongco said the turn over of newborn hearing screening units worth over PHP1 million will facilitate the establishment of newborn hearing screening facilities that will provide early diagnosis and early intervention for the prevention of hearing loss.
“The recipient facilities will now have the capability to screen and assess infants on hearing impairment and refer them to reference centers for further evaluation and immediate treatment,” she said.
There are two hearing screening reference centers in the region located at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Batac City, and at the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City.
Nicole Marie Bugarin, regional coordinator for Newborn Screening, said the importance of newborn hearing screening is to identify if a newborn has hearing impairment as this does not show obvious symptoms and infants are unable to tell whether they can hear or not.
“A newborn hearing screening for hearing loss is done in the first four weeks or 28 days of life. If the detection of hearing disorder is delayed, the intervention will also be delayed and it will affect speech, language, and psychological development of a child,” she said.
The newborn hearing screening is included in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Newborn Care Package for members.
The newborn hearing screening machine or the OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) unit checks part of the inner ear’s response to sound and is mostly done on infants and children.
Two personnel from the recipient hospitals or center, a manager and a screener have undergone training on how to properly and accurately handle the unit. They have also undertaken a one-day Newborn Hearing Screening Personnel Certification Course, the basic course for all managers and screeners of Newborn Hearing Screening Centers conducted by Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center (NHSRC).
The NHSRC is the main partner of the DOH in implementing Republic Act No. 9709 or the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act, which was signed into law on Aug. 12, 2009.
Among the recipients in the province of Pangasinan are the Conrado F. Estrella Regional Medical Center, Mapandan Community Hospital, Sual Primary Care Facility – Infirmary and Anda Rural Health Unit; Gov. Roque Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital in Ilocos Norte; Balaoan District Hospital in La Union; and Ilocos Sur Medical Center, ISDH – Sta Lucia and ISDH – Magsingal in Ilocos Sur.
BHS packages
Meanwhile, a total of 25 set of BHS packages have been turned over to RHUs of Urdaneta City, Pangasinan to contribute to the health facilities’ ability to provide better healthcare services to the people in the barangays.
Among the recipients were the barangay health stations of Bayaoas, Boalaoen, Cabaruan, Camantiles, Casantaan, Consolacion, Labit West, Mabanogbog, Macalong, Nancalobasaan, Nancamarilan East, Nancamarilan West, Oltama, Palina West, Pinmaludpud, Pr. Orata, San Jose, Sam Vicente, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Domingo, Sugcong, Tipuso, Tulong, Anonas and Bactad East.
“Basically, the rural health units are at forefront of our health care system and the first point of care at the community level. They are the avenues of clinical quality, operational efficiency, and people-centered processes, that is why, it is very important for these facilities to be improved and strengthened for them to be able to provide a quality responsive health care service,” Sydiongco said.
The BHS package is composed of a dressing cart, two minor surgical set, mechanical bed, two spine board, two EENT diagnostic set, weighing scale with BMI calculator, weighing scale for infant, eight fetal doppler and examining table, medicine cabinet, two instrument cabinet; five nursing kits (composed of digital BP apparatus with heavy duty stethoscope, non-contact thermometer with battery, nebulizer, blood glucose meter with strip and pulse oximeter), tabletop sterilizer, and generating set.
The BHS packages were funded through the 2024 Health Facility Enhancement Program.
The distribution of the equipment was started last week. (PNA)
