BONTOC, Mountain Province – From January to October 2022, a total of five infants born at home and in birthing clinics were tested for possible disorders.
This includes two in Barangay Can-eo, and one each in Barangays Bontoc Ili, Caluttit, and Gonogon.
According to Nurse IV Jessica Lyn Patingan of the Municipal Health Office, the newborn screenings administered to the five infants resulted negative for any possible disorders.
Newborn screening is an essential public health strategy that enables the early detection and management of several congenital disorders, which if left untreated, may lead to mental retardation and/or death. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment, along with appropriate long-term care help ensure normal growth and development of the affected individual. It has been an integral part of routine newborn care in most developed countries for five decades, either as a health directive or mandated by law.
Meanwhile, Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong emphasized the importance of protecting the children’s health and the vulnerable sector in the community.
He added that the new born screening is one way of safeguarding the children’s rights for quality healthcare
Ordinance No. 310, S. 2018, mandates the Bontoc Local Government Unit to subsidize the cost of newborn screening administered on infants born outside hospitals.