Newborn Screening and Other Child Health Objectives of the Child Health Program

Program The Child Health Program aims to reduce

Newborn Screening
- Newborn screening (NBS) is a simple procedure
to find out if the newborn has congenital
metabolic disorder that may lead to mental
retardation and even death if left untreated.
Method of Screening
- It uses the heel prick method where a few drops
of blood are taken from the baby's heel and
blotted on a special absorbent filter card. The
blood is dried for 4 hours and sent to the
Newborn Screening Laboratory.
When is Newborn Screening done?
- Newborn screening is ideally done on the 48th
hour or at least 24 hours from birth. Some
disorders are not detected if the test is done
earlier than 24 hours. The baby must be screened
again after 2 weeks for more accurate result.
Result
- A negative screen means that NBS result is
normal.
- A positive screen means that the newborn must
be brought back to his/her practitioner for
further testing.
Who will collect the sample for NBS?
 Physician
 Nurse
 Midwife
 Medical technologist
Where is NBS available?
 Hospitals
 Lying-ins
 Rural Health Unit
 Health Centers
• If the babies are delivered at home, babies
may be brought to the nearest institution
offering newborn screening.
significantly global mortality and morbidity associated
with the major causes of deaths in children and to
contribute to healthy growth and development of
children.
Framework for Children's Rights
The Philippine National Strategic Framework
for Development for Children or CHILD 21 is a strategic
framework for planning programs and interventions that
promote and safeguard the rights of Filipino children.
Covering the period 2000-2005, it paints in broad strokes
a vision for the quality of life of Filipino children in
2025 and a roadmap to achieve the vision.
Other relevant legal frameworks include the
following:
1. RA 7610- Anti Child Abuse Act.
2. RA 7658-an act prohibiting the employment of
children below 15 years of age.
3. RA 6809 Emancipation law lowered majority
age from 21 to 18 years old.
Children's Health 2025
• Children's Health 2025, a subdocument of
CHILD 21, realizes that health is a critical and
fundamental element in children's welfare.
However, health programs cannot be
implemented in isolation from the other
component that determines the safety and well-
being of children in society. Children's Health
2025, therefore, should be able to integrate the
strategies and interventions into the overall plan
for children's development.
• Children's Health 2025 utilizes a life cycle
approach and weaves in the rights of children.
The life cycle approach ensures that the issues,
needs and gaps are addressed at the different
stages of the child's growth and development. 

Newborn Screening Package Vision for Children's Health

Disorder Effect if NOT Effect if A healthy Filipino child is:
Screened SCREENED SCREENED  Wanted, planned and conceived by healthy
and Treated parents.
CH (Congenital Severe Mental Normal  Carried to term by healthy mother.
Hypothyroidism) Retardation  Born into a loving, caring, stable family capable
CAH (Congenital Death Alive and of providing for his or her basic needs.
Adrenal Normal  Delivered safely by a trained attendant.
Hyperplasia)  Screened for congenital defects shortly after
GAL Death or Alive and birth; if defects are found, interventions to
(Galactosemia) Cataracts Normal correct these defects are implemented at the
appropriate time.
PKU Severe Mental Normal
(Phenylketonuria) Retardation  Exclusively breastfed for at least six months,
and continued breastfeeding up to two years
G6PD Deficiency Severe Normal
 Introduced to complementary foods at about six
(Glucose-6- Anemia,
months of age, and gradually to a balanced,
Phosphate Kernicterus
nutritious diet;
Dehydrogenase
 Protected from the consequences of protein-
Deficiency)
calorie and micronutrient deficiencies through
good nutrition and access to fortified foods and
Goals of the Child Health Program
iodized salt.
The Child Health Program aims that every child
 Provided with safe, clean and hygienic
grows up in a family with love and security, lives in
surroundings free from accidents.
healthy surroundings, receives adequate nourishment,
 Properly cared for at home when sick and
health supervision and medical attention, and is taught
brought to facility for appropriate management
the elements of healthy living.
when needed.
 
  Offered equal access to good quality curative, providing basic health services
preventive and promotive health care services as including counseling for
a member of the Filipino society. adolescents and youth to 70%.
 Regularly monitored for proper growth and  
development, and provided with adequate Garantisadong Pambata
psychosocial and mental stimulation. • Garantisadong Pambata is a package of health
 Screened for disabilities and developmental services that has traditionally been given to
delays in early childhood; if disabilities are children below six years old in April and
found, interventions are implemented to enable October but will now be offered all year round
the child to enjoy a life of dignity at the highest and will include appropriate services and
level of function attainable. promotion even for school-aged children.
 Protected from discrimination, exploitation and • GP highlights health-promoting behaviors that
abuse. parents, caregivers teachers, leaders and children
 Afforded the opportunity to reach his or her full themselves can do in their respective spheres of
potential as adult. influence. The DOH aims to make GP
synonymous with healthy behaviors and
Children's Health Program practices. Among the behaviors being promoted
1. Goal: The ultimate goal of Children's Health are breastfeeding completion of immunization,
2025 is to achieve good health for all Filipino regular vitamin A supplementation and
children by the year 2025. deworming, handwashing, toothbrushing, proper
2. Medium-term Objectives for year 2001-2004 toilet use, and prevention of smoking at home.
a. Health Status Objectives- reduce the • The GP started in 1999 to address low coverage
following: rates on immunization and micro-nutrient
i. Infants 0-1 year to 17 supplementation. Since then, the GP has become
deaths per 1,000 live births; a pivotal campaign for the DOH and local
ii. ii. Children 1-4 years governments to encourage caregivers to focus on
old to 33.6% per 1000 live critical health interventions for young children.
births • The National Statistics Office in its 2008 survey
iii. Adolescents and youths reported that four out of five children below two
by 50%. years old received all the required vaccines to
b. Risk Reduction Objectives protect them from diseases and infections like
i. Increase the following: measles, tetanus, polio, hepatitis and
i. Percentage of fully tuberculosis. About 80 per cent of children
immunized children to 90% below five year old received vitamin A
ii. Percentage of infants supplements twice a year to boost children's
exclusively breastfed up to resistance. Also, about 100% of children aged 1-
six months to 30% 5 years old and those aged 6-12 years enrolled in
iii. Percentage of infants public elementary schools should receive
given timely and proper deworming tablets every six months to reduce
complementary feeding at prevalence of parasitism in these age groups.
six
iv. Percentage of mothers
and caregivers who know
and practice home
management of childhood
illness to 80%
v. Health care-seeking
behavior of adolescents to
50%
ii. Reduce the prevalence
of protein-energy malnutrition
among school-age children.
c. Services and Protection Objectives
i. 90% of infants
and children are provided with
essential health care package.
ii. Increase the
percentage of health facilities
with available stocks of
vaccines and essential drugs and
micronutrients to 80%
iii. Increase the
percentage of schools
implementing school-based
health and nutrition programs
80%
iv. Increase the
percentage of health facilities