Details are being finalized in Holguin‘s neonatal services for the implementation of four newborn hearing and visual screening equipments donated by MediCuba-Switzerland.
According to Sandra Bárbara Gurris Hidalgo, coordinator of disability programs at the General Health Directorate, “this project, in coordination with Medicuba-Suiza, will be carried out initially in four hospitals where births take place, in the municipalities of Moa, Banes, Mayarí and at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Hospital inHolguín”.
Regarding the particularities of this test, the personnel who will perform it and the way to proceed when detecting any alteration, the MSc. also explained that “as Holguin province is one of the four provinces in Cuba included in a newborn screening project for the prevention of hearing impairment, it received four suitcases with all the equipment that are in the above mentioned municipalities. We already have the trained personnel and we are waiting to condition the premises, in a very short time, to start the screening.
“It is something very new for the province because previously we only had one piece of equipment at “Lenin” Hospital capable of detecting hearing loss only. We are waiting for it to start, as soon as possible, because we know that it is something nice for our sector in such difficult times”, she pointed out.
It will consist of an otoacoustic emission, and in case of any alteration, an evoked potential is performed, which also enables a visual screening. Thus, in these hospitals, all children, 24 hours after their birth, will be screened, which will be recorded in a book. They will also be followed up in coordination with the Otorhinolaryngology service of the pediatric hospital Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja.
Early detection of hearing impairment provides families with the necessary guidance and support to manage the situation, as well as access to specialized interventions, if necessary, in order to improve the quality of life of the hearing impaired child, a top priority action in order to ensure optimal development and prevent possible long-term complications.
Early detection of hearing impairment through neonatal screening allows early identification and treatment of any hearing problems in newborns, a fundamental principle in ensuring better language and communication development, as well as in preventing possible delays in cognitive and social development.
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