Makati newborns to get screened for hearing disabilities

MANILA, Philippines - Newborn babies in Makati City will be the beneficiaries of a new hearing screening program in three city-owned lying in clinics which are now equipped with three new otoacoustic emission machines.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said hearing screenings using the new machines are now being offered at the city-owned lying-in clinics in Barangays Bangkal, Guadalupe Nuevo and East Rembo.

Binay said the United States-made machines will be used to detect hearing defects in newborn babies and young children so that these can be promptly remedied.

“In addition to newborn screening, we have begun to implement the hearing screening program in our lying-in clinics as part of our continuing commitment to the wellbeing of children in Makati. We want to give children a head start in life through the early detection of any potential disability that could impede their normal growth and development,” Binay said.

To date, newborn screening has been conducted on 902 babies in the three lying-in clinics and on 1,747 babies delivered at the Ospital ng Makati.

Meanwhile, Binay also reported that city’s malnutrition prevalence rate has been reduced from 0.90 in 2012 to 0.73 this year. 

Binay attributed the drop to the effective nutrition program of the city complemented by its successful community-based breastfeeding advocacy.