Newborn Screening in the Philippines and India: Its Implementation and Problems Encountered in the Program

Abstract

This study dealt with the status and implementation of Newborn Screening (NBS) program in the Philippines and India. It determined the profile of and the problems encountered in the NBS program in both countries. A comparison was done on the status of the Newborn Screening along legal mandate, cost of testing, specimen used, diseases screened, consent required, funding agencies and the availability of screening centers. The descriptive-comparative research design was utilized. The data from the Philippines were gathered from the Provincial Health Office while in India, the data came from health providers of Gujarat. Ethical clearance was secured. Frequency and percentages were used. Results showed that in the Philippines, the screening includes five metabolic and genetic diseases. There are more screening services in India than the Philippines. Out of the seven (7) diseases screened, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the most common metabolic disorder in the Philippines; while in India, the incidence of B -Thalassemia takes the lead in Gujarat and G6PD followed. As to the profile of the NBS Program in both countries, Philippines has the National Policy on Newborn Screening. NBS is mandatory in the Philippines, therefore highly implemented while in India, the NBS program has no standards or any national guidelines followed. In India, the cost of testing is more expensive and there are more metabolic and genetic disorders screened. The Philippine Health Insurance covers the program. In India, there is no federal support, mostly private hospitals perform the NBS. Problems encountered include resistance of some mothers to the NBS and confirmatory testing.