Makati cites gains in newborn screening coverage

The Makati Health Department has reported significant gains in the citywide campaign of the city government to promote the advocacy for newborn screening since it was launched in 2006.

Republic Act 9288 provides for all infants to undergo newborn screening for the early detection and prevention of at least five congenital metabolic disorders in newborns that may lead to mental retardation, physical deformity, serious health complications, or death, if left undetected and untreated.

City health officer Dr. Ma. Lourdes Salud said from an average of 18.8 percent in the last half of 2006, the ratio of newborn screenings to total live births recorded by three city-run lying-in clinics has steadily increased over a two-year period. 

For the whole of 2007, 59.1 percent of total live births were covered, while in just the first half of this year, the implementation rate already stood at 66 percent, she said.

Salud noted that upon the directive of Mayor Jejomar Binay, her office had made arrangements early in 2006 for the city-run lying-in clinics in Barangays Bangkal, Comembo and Guadalupe Nuevo to be granted accreditation for newborn screening by the Department of Health.

Salud said that with newborn screening now covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., even indigent parents no longer need to worry about the P600 fee for the procedure charged by the lying-in clinics, which are all PhilHealth-accredited. Some 80,000 indigent families of Makati have active PhilHealth membership sponsored by the city government.

She also commended the Cattleya Well Family Clinic and Angel Chris Well Family Clinic for subjecting all babies born in their facilities to newborn screening throughout 2007 and as of June this year. – Michael Punongbayan, Rhodina Villanueva