BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance institutionalizing a hearing screening program for all infants in the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. stated it will be the policy of the local government to give high priority to the promotion of total growth and development of children and it shall ensure that the rights of children are fully protected and respected with the active support and participation or concerted efforts with the parents, families, communities, peoples’ organizations, non-government organizations and other sectors of the society.
Yangot said the local government also recognizes that children have rights as provided in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other related laws.
He claimed the objective of the proposed legislative measure is to establish and integrate sustained infant hearing screening program within the public health system designed to identify hearing impairments in infants shortly after birth.
Yangot claimed it has been recommended that hearing loss in infants be identified, and when possible treated, prior to six months of age based on studies that show children identified with hearing loss prior to six months of age have a better chance of developing skills equivalent to their peers by the time they enter kindergarten.
On the other hand, children not identified until latter may ultimately suffer from irreversible and permanent impairments in speech, language, and cognitive abilities when compared to their peers. In order to identify this large group of hearing-impaired infants not identified with current testing protocols, it is now recommended to have a hearing screening program to be able to identify all hearing impaired infants at an early age, thereby increasing their chances at becoming healthy.
Under the proposed ordinance, the City Health Officer shall integrate the hearing screening program in the barangay health centers, provide facilities, acquire detection machines and employ at least one audiologist necessary for the proper implementation of the program.
Further, the attending physician or health practitioner shall orient the parents or guardians of the infants on the mandatory implementation of the program.
In case of deliveries in the homes and in the lying-in clinics, the medical attendant or midwife shall give the mandatory orientation on the benefits of the screening on infants to the parents or guardian.
The City Health Officer shall ensure that midwives, traditional birth attendants, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, and volunteers are properly informed of the benefits of the hearing screening program and that the Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children shall monitor all infants to undergo the hearing screening program in their respective barangays.
Moreover, the City Health Office shall undertake skills training programs for hearing screening for its audiologists, volunteers and community-based health practitioners to ensure the smooth implementation of the program.
The audiologist or any well-trained health care personnel of the private and public hospitals and the City Health Office who have conducted the screening on infants shall issue the requisite certification to indicate the infant has fully undergone the hearing screening and indicate the results of the test. By Dexter A. See