Nationwide program for neonatal screening planned

The Ministry of Health is to launch a national program for the early detection of disabilities in newborns, a senior official from the ministry announced in Riyadh on Monday.“The decision to implement a national program was adopted at a meeting of the Health Services Council,” HSC Secretary-General Dr. Yacoub Al-Mazroa said on Monday. The HSC meeting held on Sunday in Riyadh was chaired by its Vice President Dr. Ahmed Al-Saif on behalf of Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who is head of the council.Al-Mazroa said the program would cover all maternity hospitals to screen newborn infants to diagnose and treat diseases that affect their mental and physical health.He pointed out during the past five years some 600,000 infants were screened for such tests and only 600 were diagnosed with various deformities following birth.Neonatal screening identifies conditions that can affect a child's long-term health or survival. Early detection, diagnosis and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential. Each year, millions of babies in the US are routinely screened using a few drops of blood from the newborn's heel for certain genetic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders, and are also tested for hearing loss prior to discharge from a hospital.Considering the importance of primary health centers (PHCs) throughout the Kingdom in serving people all over the country, the official said the council decided to adopt a uniform standard to be followed by all these centers in the Kingdom.There are some 2,000 PHCs spread throughout the country.The council also approved a manual drafted by the Tobacco Control Unit of the Kingdom to be issued to all health sectors for necessary follow-up and implementation.The guide is set out according to global standards based on the experiences of those countries.It was also decided that health providers would be asked to offer maximum healthcare and facilities for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.The council also discussed the political declaration of the meeting of the General Assembly of United Nations for the prevention of non-communicable diseases and also reviewed the studies presented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.The members also encouraged the use of disposable devices and products during clinical tests.The UN resolution places chronic diseases at the center of other development and health initiatives, including the need to strengthen health systems, the focus on prevention and control of disease, and importance of holistic government approaches to public health.It also builds on the work undertaken by WHO, such as the Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, and the recently endorsed Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol.