MAKKAH – Physicians and geneticists sought ways to improve newborn screening, a public health program of screening infants for conditions and genetic diseases shortly after birth.
The current status of the newborn screening program in Makkah region was reviewed by a variety of physicians from different hospitals at the 3rd Makkah Newborn Screening Workshop at the Maternity and Children Hospital (MCH) organized by the Ministry of Health and the Education and Training Center.
Among the seventeen inherited diseases in the Makkah region, metabolic diseases are most common, such as phenylketonuria disease, according to Dr. Dia Arafah, clinical geneticist and organizer of the workshop at the hospital.
Different genetic metabolic disorders have symptoms, treatments and prognoses that vary widely and require doctors to identify accurately at an early stage.
“Among the limitations in the program is the staff in newborn screening are not completely free due to their commitment to other responsibilities,” Dr. Arafah told Saudi Gazette. “Production is affected in addition to the continuous change in nursing and staff.”
Other challenges include the shortage in medication and delay in reporting positive lab results.
The workshop offered practical training on ways to deal with emergency situations, sampling for newborns as well as providing appropriate nutrition.
More teamwork is needed among the medical staff, Dr. Arafah further said, in addition to continuation of the service, and promoting education on newborn screening to the public and staff.
The first Saudi national newborn screening program was established in November 1989. Doctors agreed that it significantly reduced the morbidity of disorders.
Geneticists also discussed ways to genetic counseling, a practice accompanied with ethical issues and communication skills when dealing with parents of patients.
Layan Damanhouri - Saudi Gazette
