• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod has reminded hospitals, maternity clinics, and other healthcare facilities in the city to comply with the mandatory newborn and vision screening requirements.
Republic Act (RA) 9288, or the Newborn Screening Act of 2004, and RA 11148, or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, mandate that all newborns be offered and given newborn screening within the first 48 hours of life.
All hospitals, lying-in clinics, and maternity clinics attending to deliveries are also obligated to perform this screening before any infant is discharged, as per these laws.
City Ordinance 08-15-759, or the Mandatory Vision Screening for Infants and Children Ordinance of Bacolod City, similarly requires that all babies undergo vision screening before they are released from hospital nurseries and lying-in clinics.
This is to detect conditions, such as amblyopia, strabismus, cataracts, glaucoma, and refractive errors that, if left untreated, can lead to permanent visual impairment. Children should also present documented vision screening results before beginning school.
Early detection through newborn and vision screening is among the most cost-effective public health interventions available, health authorities said, adding that five to 10 percent of preschoolers will have visual difficulties that, if undetected, may permanently impair their development, education, and quality of life.
But Councilor Celia Matea Flor, who authored the resolution approved by the SP May 26, said that not all covered health facilities in Bacolod are consistently implementing these screening mandates.
“All hospitals, maternity clinics, lying-in clinics, and birthing homes, including the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, are therefore reminded of their obligation to integrate both newborn and vision screening into standard discharge protocols, maintain proper documentation in each infant’s medical record, and ensure timely referral to appropriate specialists for all cases requiring further evaluation,” the resolution stressed.
The City Health Office, barangay health workers, and community leaders are also called upon to monitor compliance, extend technical assistance to health facilities, and actively reach out to families, especially in underserved communities, to encourage full participation in these life-saving screening programs, it added. | CGC
