A newborn screening programme to identify babies for common metabolic disorders will be rolled out in Tirupattur and Vellore in February.
The government recently sanctioned Rs. 99 lakh for the pilot project, which is being carried out under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) with support from the Institute of Child Health (ICH), to screen for congenital hypothyrodism and adrenal hyperplasia.
The project follows a study in Chennai by the Indian Council for Medical Research which revealed that one in 2,000 babies suffered from these conditions. Hypothyrodism is caused by sub-normal thyroid gland secretion which leads to poor intellectual development. Male babies with adrenal hyperplasia can die if untreated. In female babies the condition presents as ambiguity of gender.
“In the first year, around 80,000 newborns will be covered,” according to S. Srinivasan, coordinator, State Nodal Centre – NRHM at the ICH. Nurses would undergo a three-week training to conduct blood test on newborns.
The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram was launched in 2013 and so far 8,000 children were screened for congenital defects, including cleft lip and palate and club foot. So far 4,000 children had undergone surgeries. Though they were covered under the Chief Minister’s health insurance scheme, surgeries could be done only if parents opted for, said K. Kolandaisami, Director of Public Health. According to S. Suresh, managing trustee of Fetal Care Research Foundation, who was part of the ICMR screening programme, such exercises were not sufficient to change the mindset. “Today we have a matrix to identify the risks in mothers. But non-acceptance of disability has forced termination of pregnancy. Technological advances should be used for saving life, not terminating pregnancy,” he adds.
