Newborn Screening

What

Newborn Screening (NBS) is a simple procedure to find out if your baby has a congenital metabolic disorder that may lead to mental retardation or even death if left untreated.

Why

Most babies with metabolic disorders look "normal" at birth. By doing NBS, metabolic disorders may be detected even before clinical signs and symptoms are present. And as a result of this, treatment can be given early to prevent consequences of untreated conditions.

When

Newborn screening is ideally done immediately after 24 hours from birth.

How

A few drops of blood are taken from the baby's heel, blotted on a special absorbent filter card.

Who

The blood sample for NBS will be collected by our highly skilled Medical Technologist.

Interpretation

Results can be claimed from the Medical Records. Normal NBS Results are available a month from the time samples are received.

A negative screen means that the NBS result is normal.

A positive results are relayed to the parents immediately by the laboratory personnel. Please ensure that the address and phone number you will provide to the health facility are correct. The baby must be brought back to the Physician for further testing.