by DOH – Central Visayas Center for Health Development
As part of the Cagayan Valley Provincial Newborn Screening initiative, the Isabela Provincial Health Office – Field Health Services, in collaboration with the Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development and the Newborn Screening Center-Northern Luzon (NSC-NL), conducted a training on Confirmatory Sample Collection, Packing, and Transportation. Held on April 2, 2025, at Japi Hotel, Cauayan City, the event carried the theme “STRONG NBS: Strengthening the Resources and Outcomes for the Next Generation.”
The training gathered medical technologists, nurses, and midwives from primary care facilities and provincially maintained hospitals, equipping them with essential skills for proper newborn screening specimen handling.
Newborn screening (NBS) is a vital tool for early detection of serious yet treatable conditions often before symptoms appear. Early intervention can prevent complications such as developmental delays, nervous system damage, or even infant mortality. A crucial step in this process is confirmatory testing, conducted when an initial screen yields an abnormal result. However, challenges like long travel distances and the lack of trained personnel at primary care levels continue to hinder access to confirmatory testing.
To help address these challenges, the training aimed to empower healthcare providers with standardized knowledge and techniques for the proper collection, packaging, and transport of NBS specimens.
