NEWBORN HEARING TEST. Department of Health officials hand over a newborn screening machine to one of 10 recipients in San Juan, La Union on Thursday (June 30, 2023). Each machine costs PHP412, 500. (Photo courtesy of DOH Region 1)
LAOAG CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) in the Ilocos Region on Thursday urged mothers of newborns to have their babies undergo a hearing screening test 24 hours after birth.
The appeal came a week after the turnover of 10 newborn hearing machines worth PHP412,500 each to Level 1 health facilities in Ilocos Region as part of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program (UNHSP) for the prevention, early diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss among infants and newborns.
For the convenience of mothers and their infants, the newborn hearing screening machine will be strategically placed in various public health facilities in the region.
These machines will be donated to Piddig District Hospital and Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos District Hospital in Ilocos Norte; Ilocos Sur District Hospital in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur; District Hospital in Bessang Pass, Ilocos Sur; District Hospital in Salcedo in Ilocos Sur; and community hospitals in Bolinao, Umingan, Dasol, Manaoag, and Pozorrubio, all in Pangasinan.
“We are encouraging mothers of newborns to submit your child to hearing screening test to ensure their health and safety,” said Cyrus Jed Ramos, regional coordinator for newborn screening, as he reported that a total of 16,884 infants in the region have so far been screened from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year.
The regional office will conduct a training activity for health workers who will manage the newborn hearing screening machines.
The DOH will also create a registry for newborn screening to determine the number of newborns with hearing loss and provide necessary intervention and treatment.
According to DOH regional director Paula Paz Sydiongco, a hearing screening among infants is very important to determine if they have a problem in hearing, especially during their early development because it can affect their ability to communicate effectively.
She added that through hearing, babies develop speech and language skills by listening and imitating sounds from the environment. It enables them to bond with their parents and other members of the family through voice recognition and understanding verbal cues.
"Infants acquire knowledge through auditory stimulation and any delay or impairment in hearing can significantly impact an infant's cognitive, social, and emotional development,” she said in a statement.
The hearing screening devices come with a handheld unit, cradle, carrying bag, probe cord and thermal printer. (PNA)
