BRIEFS: Health

Newborn screening to go into effect

Officials at the Hospital del Niño will start offering free screening tests in January to check newborns for potential health problems.

The screening, which involves examining a blood sample from a newborn, could alert health professionals to any of a number of potential problems facing the child. Of the 64,000 babies born in Panama each year, about 7 percent have some type of pre-existing disease or disability. The screening can detect an estimated 80 percent of these problems.

The government passed a National Neonatal Screening law in 2007 that mandated free testing. The provisions of that law will go into full force this January.

The coordinator of the neonatal screening program at the Hospital del Niño, Gladys Cossio, said two of the six tests mandated by the law are already being carried out. The rest will go into place in January.

The initial budget for the screening is $1.5 million. The screenings will be carried out at a number of facilities across the country, though the program will be administered by officials at the Hospital del Niño.

Some health officials think the screening should be expanded to include 24 different tests, which is the policy in neighboring Costa Rica.