“Abu Dhabi Health” obliged hospitals to perform it for them
Heel prick for newborns reveals 40 diseases
The heel sample is one of the first analyzes that is done for the newborn after birth.
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The Abu Dhabi Department of Health has called on healthcare service providers in the emirate to send samples of “heel prick” blood tests for newborns in Abu Dhabi to the laboratory of the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, and to commit to electronic reporting of the tests and results.
The heel sample is one of the first analyzes that is conducted for the newborn after its birth, and it confirms the safety of the child or the presence of specific diseases by taking a blood sample.
The analysis is done by performing a prick in the heel of the newborn, and then taking a sample of blood in a period ranging between 48 hours and five days from its indications, and it is medically called “the neonatal heel prick.”
The analysis reveals more than 40 genetic diseases, including thyroid disease, adrenal disease, sickle cell disease, and a number of metabolic diseases.
The department issued a circular to health care providers in the emirate, in which it said: "As part of the Abu Dhabi Center for Public Health's continuous efforts to provide the highest levels of health care and maintain the health of community members, especially the health of newborns, we would like to recall and emphasize the procedures to be followed to implement a neonatal examination program The mother is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The department obligated health care providers to conduct newborn examinations, as described in its standard for newborns, and to deliver heel prick examination samples to the genetics diagnostic laboratory and to examine newborns, affiliated with the Ministry, on a daily basis, and to pay the agreed amount for the cost of analyzing the sample to the laboratory, as the costs of Heel prick screening for newborns is part of the maternity services benefits, and the patient should not be charged for it.
It called on health facilities that are not integrated with their system for electronic reporting of newborn examinations, to commit to reporting the results of examinations through the Department of Health's electronic reporting link.
The Newborn Blood Test Laboratory in Abu Dhabi provides the service of early detection of newborn diseases, genetic and congenital diseases, with immediate treatment and periodic follow-up to avoid physical and mental disabilities and reduce deaths, as newborn examination provides an opportunity for appropriate treatment, before the health problem affects the patient. The mental and physical development of the child in a way that does not benefit from treatment after that.
It examines more than 40 selected genetic diseases, according to international standards, including: phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, sickle cell anemia, congenital adrenal gland secretion disorders, vitamin (biotin) deficiency, amino acids, organic and fatty acids, and galactosemia, in addition to tests Others, such as: cardiac examination to detect critical congenital anomalies of the heart, and early examination of hearing disorders for newborns to detect hereditary deafness.
In the event that any genetic disease is discovered, the laboratory contacts the coordinator and the parents immediately, to begin treatment as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed.
• Newborn screening provides an opportunity for treatment before the problem affects the child's mental and physical development.
• If any hereditary disease is discovered, the laboratory will contact the coordinator and the parents to initiate treatment.
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