Ilocos Norte’s Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center bested major Asian health institutions to win the “Health Promotion Initiative of the Year” award from the Healthcare Asia Magazine in Singapore.
The Batac-based medical institution won the prestigious award for its successful implementation of the Newborn Hearing Screening Promotion Program (NHSPP).
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.
The Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center are in good company in winning this award. It is the only retained hospital by the Department of Health to be recognized together with top private health care institutions in the country, such as the Medical City, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
Dr. Jose B. Orosa III, chief of the hospital’s medical professionals and program coordinator of NHSPP, said “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 providing quality and universal health care services, not only among Ilocanos but to all Filipinos.”
“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 in a PNA report.
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.
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