AN ACT ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION
Download as PDF
Download as Word
Collections
Create new Collection
Overview
Full Text
Details
Case
Agency Issuance Number
Published Date
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION
Republic Act No. 9709
August 12, 2009
Case Overview and Summary
Summary of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009Objectives and Establishment of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program (UNHSP) (Section 3):
- Ensure all newborns have access to hearing loss screening.
- Establish network among stakeholders for policy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of UNHSP.
- Provide continuing capacity building, training for healthcare practitioners, and applied research.
- Establish and maintain a newborn hearing screening database.
- Include component for linkages to diagnosis and early intervention services.
- Develop public policy based on research and consultation with stakeholders.
- Develop models for effective screening, referral, and linkage with diagnostic, medical, and early intervention services.
Definitions (Section 4):
- Defines terms such as "audiologic diagnostic evaluation", "congenital hearing loss", "follow-up", "healthcare practitioner", "health institutions", "intervention", "newborn hearing screening database", "newborn", "newborn hearing loss screening", "newborn hearing screening reference center", "recall", "referral", and "universal newborn hearing screening program".
Obligation to Inform (Section 5):
- Healthcare practitioners must inform parents/guardians about availability, nature, and benefits of newborn hearing loss screening.
- Parents/guardians of newborns with congenital hearing loss must be informed about diagnostic evaluation, intervention, treatment options, and counseling.
- DOH to prepare and disseminate informational and educational materials.
Obligation to Perform Screening and Evaluation (Section 6):
- All newborns in hospitals must undergo hearing loss screening before discharge, unless parents/guardians object (Section 7).
- Newborns not born in hospitals should be screened within first 3 months.
- Positive screening result requires timely audiologic diagnostic evaluation before 6 months of age.
- Evaluation to be performed by DOH-certified Newborn Hearing Screening Centers.
- Parents/guardians and healthcare practitioners responsible for ensuring screening is performed.
- For home births, attending practitioner to refer newborn to municipal/city health center for screening and evaluation.
Refusal to be Tested (Section 7):
- Parents/guardians may refuse screening on religious/cultural grounds but must acknowledge in writing the risks.
- Waiver to be part of newborn's medical record and entered into national database.
Continuing Education and Training (Section 8):
- DOH to conduct continuing education, re-education, and training programs for healthcare practitioners.
- DOH to prepare, produce, and disseminate information materials annually to health personnel.
Lead Agency (Section 9):
- DOH is the lead agency for implementing the Act.
- DOH to coordinate with other agencies, LGUs, private sector, and stakeholders.
- DOH to coordinate with NIH Newborn Hearing Screening Reference Center for certification of centers and testing protocols.
- DOH to coordinate with consumer groups, professionals, payers, and industries.
- DOH to monitor screening and evaluation in health institutions and assist in developing programs.
- DOH to develop program for rehabilitation of deaf children.
Advisory Committee (Section 10):
- Membership of Advisory Committee on Newborn Screening under RA 9288 expanded to include representatives from otorhinolaryngology and audiology societies.
Newborn Hearing Screening Centers (Section 11):
- Newborn Hearing Screening Centers to be established for screening, evaluation, recall, follow-up, and referral programs.
- Centers to be certified by DOH based on standards formulated with NIH.
- Existing Newborn Screening Centers under RA 9288 to develop capacity to become Hearing Screening Centers.
- DOH to develop incentives for establishing Hearing Screening Centers.
Data Management and Applied Research (Section 12):
- Hospitals and Screening Centers to submit screening results to NIH Reference Center for database consolidation.
- NIH Reference Center to maintain national database and registry for hearing loss cases.
- NIH Reference Center to submit annual reports to DOH.
- Plan for long-term outcome evaluation to be developed within 1 year.
- DOH and NIH to award grants and cooperative agreements for technical assistance and applied research related to infant hearing detection, diagnosis, and treatment/intervention.
Government Intervention (Section 13):
- If newborn diagnosed with congenital hearing loss, Screening Center or barangay health workers to provide referral for treatment to provincial hospital of LGU.
- If treatment beyond capability of provincial hospital, referral to be made to DOH Tertiary Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, or other national non-DOH hospitals.
- Provincial hospitals to have funds for treatment from LGU's internal revenue allotment.
Newborn Screening Fees (Section 14):
- PhilHealth to include cost of hearing loss screening in its benefit package.
- PhilHealth to develop program for gradual coverage of screening, evaluation, and intervention services.
- DOH to periodically review and recommend screening fees to be charged by Screening Centers.
- No fee for accredited behavioral tests like Tuning Fork and Penlight method.
Funding (Section 15):
- Necessary amount to be included in annual General Appropriations Act.
Implementing Rules and Regulations (Section 16):
- DOH to develop implementing rules and regulations within 30 days, in collaboration with relevant agencies and associations.
- DOH to issue special protocol on deaf and hearing-impaired persons for Section 5 implementation.
Repealing Clause (Section 17), Separability Clause (Section 18), and Effectivity Clause (Section 19) are also included.
Amends
n/a
Amended by
n/a
Tags
Statutes
Republic Acts
newborn hearing screening
hearing loss
early diagnosis
intervention
congenital hearing loss
audiologic diagnostic evaluation
follow-up
recall
referral
newborn hearing screening database
universal newborn hearing screening program
healthcare practitioner
health institutions
newborn hearing screening reference center
continuing education
training
advisory committee
data management
applied research
government intervention
newborn screening fees
philippine health insurance corporation
implementing rules and regulations
Law
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION
Republic Act No. 9709
•August 12, 2009
Republic of the PhilippinesCONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINESMetro Manila
Fourteenth CongressSecond Regular Session
Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-eighth day of July, two thousand eight.
Republic Act No. 9709 August 12, 2009
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION, EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTION OF HEARING LOSS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009".
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people, including the rights of children to survival, full and healthy development as individuals, and a better quality of life.
Recognizing the fact that newborns and children who are deaf or hard-of hearing have unique language or learning and communication needs, the State shall formulate a comprehensive program for the prevention, early detection and diagnosis of congenital hearing loss among newborns...
Login to see full content
Amends
n/a
Amended by
n/a