DOH issues AO to boost law implementing nationwide new born screening

MANILA, Oct. 6 (PNA) – The Department of Health (DOH) issued an administrative order to upgrade the rules and regulations for the implementation of Republic Act 9288 or the Newborn Screening Act of 2004.

The DOH said AO No. 2008-0026, which is signed by Secretary Francisco Duque III, will ensure that newborn screening (NBS) will be implemented at all levels as it directs the Bureau of Health Facilities and Services and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) to include NBS in hospital licensing and insurance accreditation.

“Hospitals, birthing facilities and rural health units shall ensure that adequate and sustained NBS services such as information, education, communication, screening, recall and management of identified cases are provided…,” the order said.

R.A. 9288 was enacted in April 2004 which established the National Comprehensive Newborn Screening System to ensure that NBS is accessible and affordable to every baby born in the country.

According to the DOH, NBS is an essential public health strategy that enables the early detection and management of several inborn errors of metabolism, which if left untreated, may lead to mental retardation and death.

The new AO also standardized the NBS fee for health centers at P550 and it also set the maximum allowable service fee at P50.

The DOH said the standardization for NBS fees will eradicate reports of exorbitant charging which defeats the purpose of making the screening affordable for poor Filipinos.

Administrative fines of P100,000 and P50,000 for second and third warnings await health facilities that refuse to provide NBS services and collect more than the maximum allowed P600 NBS fee.

Both the DOH and PHIC have been tasked by the AO to ensure that NBS will be attained by 85 percent of hospitals and other birthing facilities by 2010.

The DOH said only 17 percent of the 1.5 million newborns in 2007 have been covered by the NBS which is far below the targeted goal of screening all babies born in the country.

It said only 1,610 health facilities are enrolled as NB facilities as of last year. Of the said number, 57 percent or 1,020 hospitals of the total 1,771 are NBS-licensed.