HEALTH INITIATIVE AWARD. Doctors at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center show the plaque of recognition they received from the Healthcare Asia Magazine for its Newborn Hearing Screening Promotion Program in Batac City on Wednesday (June 26, 2019). The program was cited as "Health Promotion Initiative of the Year" by Healthcare Asia Magazine, a leading health industry magazine across Asia that seeks to recognize trailblazing initiatives in the healthcare sector. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Joy Alvarez)
BATAC CITY — Besting other health institutions across Asia, the state-run Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) here received the “Health Promotion Initiative of the Year” award from the Healthcare Asia Magazine based in Singapore for its successful implementation of the Newborn Hearing Screening Promotion Program (NHSPP).
Dr. Jose B. Orosa III, chief of the hospital's medical professionals and program coordinator of NHSPP, said Wednesday that MMMH&MC is the “only retained hospital by the Department of Health to win this globally recognized award alongside top private health care institutions in the country, such as the Medical City, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
“This recognition proves that our institution is capable of rising above the challenges that plague government hospitals in the country and affirms our hospital’s commitment to provide quality and universal health care services, not only among Ilocanos but to all Filipinos,” Orosa said.
The NHSPP, which started in 2016, aims to provide an accessible, effective, and efficient system of hearing services among newborns, upholding the mandate of Republic Act 9709, known as the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009.
According to the Philippine National Ear Institute, eight newborns are estimated to acquire profound deafness in the country daily, affecting the overall development and growth of an individual.
“Hearing loss is still one of the most prevalent disabilities among newborns and we tend to forget how hearing is highly necessary to the speech development and mental growth of an individual,” Orosa said.
He said their program emphasizes how the support and participation of various stakeholders are harnessed to allow effective mitigations and interventions in the health concern that could lead to the building of a more productive and healthier future of young Filipinos.
Orosa said the management of MMMH&MC hopes that through the international recognition, more support will pour in, especially in line with research pursuits focusing on newborn hearing, as well as the institutionalization of ear care programs among day care center and elementary schools across the region.
The Healthcare Asia Award is an annual awards ceremony organized by the Healthcare Asia Magazine, a leading health industry magazine across Asia that seeks to recognize trailblazing initiatives in the health care sector. (PNA)
