THE Department of Health (DOH) – Ilocos Region distributed ten newborn hearing screening units worth over P1 million each during a turn-over ceremony held in San Fernando City, La Union on February 12, 2025 to selected DOH hospitals, provincial and district health facilities and rural health units to provide early detection of hearing loss among infants and newborns.
The Ascreen newborn hearing screening machine or the OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) unit checks part of the inner ear’s response to sound and it is mostly done on infants and children. It can be connected to an Android-based device. It can also perform TEOAE or Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAE) test (sounds generated by the cochlea’s outer hair cells in response to a transient click) and DPOAE or Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) which reflect outer hair cell integrity and cochlear function.
Two participants, a manager and a screener, from the ten recipient health facilities have undergone training on how to properly and accurately handle the unit.
They have also undertaken a one-day Newborn Hearing Screening Personnel Certification Course, the basic course for all managers and screeners of Newborn Hearing Screening Centers conducted by Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center (NHSRC) on February 13, 2025 also in San Fernando City, La Union, which they have successfully passed.
The NHSRC is the main partner of the DOH in implementing Republic Act No. 9709 or the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act which was signed into law on 12 August 2009.
Among the recipients in the province of Pangasinan were the Conrado F. Estrella Regional Medical Center, Mapandan Community Hospital, Sual Primary Care Facility – Infirmary and Anda Rural Health Unit; Gov. Roque Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital in Ilocos Norte; Balaoan District Hospital in La Union; and Ilocos Sur Medical Center, ISDH – Sta Lucia and ISDH – Magsingal in Ilocos Sur.
Regional Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco said that the turn-over of newborn hearing screening units will facilitate the establishment of newborn hearing screening facilities that will provide, early diagnosis, and early intervention for the prevention of hearing loss and allows all newborns to have access to hearing screening services.
“The recipient facilities will now have the capability to screen and assess infants on hearing impairment and refer them to reference centers for further evaluation and immediate treatment.”
Currently, there are two hearing screening reference centers in region 1 located at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital Medical Center in the city of Batac and at Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City.
According to Nicole Marie Bugarin, Nurse III and the Regional Coordinator for Newborn Screening, the importance of NBHS is to identify if a newborn has hearing impairment. “It doesn’t show obvious symptoms kaya hindi ito malalaman agad and infants are unable to tell if they can’t hear kaya, it is importance for all newborns to undergo hearing screening para madetect ito maaga for early treatment and interventions.”
“ANewborn hearing screening (NBHS) for hearing loss is done in the first 4 weeks or 28 days of life. Kapag delayed ang detection ng hearing disorder, delayed din ang intervention at dito na maapektuhan ang speech, language at psychological development ng isang bata,” she further explained.
The newborn hearing screening is included at Philhealth’s Newborn Care Package (NCP) for members.
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