FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Fivst Regulnr Session 
8 JUN 10 P7:05 
(In substitution of S. 8. Nos. 1209 and 1372) 
Prepared jointly by the Committees on Health and Demography, and Finance with 
Senators Defensor Santiago, Legarda, and Pia Cayetano as authors thereof 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A UNIVERSAL NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM 
FOR THE PREVENTION, EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTION OF 
HEARING LOSS AMONG CHILDREN 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the "Universal Newborn Hearing 
Screening and Intervention Act of 2008". 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. -It is the policy of the State to protect and promote the 
right to health of the people, including the rights of children to survival, full and healthy 
development as individuals, and a better quality of life. The prevention, early detection and 
diagnosis of congenital hearing loss and interventions thereto should be based on applied 
research and the recognition that newborns and children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have 
unique language, learning and communication needs, and should be the result of consultation 
with the sectors concerned. 
SEC. 3. Pirrpose. -The purpose of this Act is to establish a Universal Newborn Hearing 
Screening Program (UNHSP) to institutionalize measures for the prevention and early diagnosis 
of congenital hearing loss among newborns and the provision of referral, early intervention, 
counseling and other support services for newborns with hearing loss, and their families, to 
afford them all the opportunities to be productive members of the community. The objectives of 
the UNHSP are: 
a. To ensure that all newborns have access to hearing loss screening; 
b. To institute a system of newborn hearing loss screening, follow-up, referral and 
recall for purpose of providing access to information and services on prevention of 


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hearing loss, early diagnosis and intervention, including consultations, to newborns 
and their families; 
c. To establish a network among pertinent government and private sector stakeholders 
for the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and policy development to further 
universal newborn hearing screening program in the country; 
d. To provide continuing capacity building of stakeholders including training to 
practitioners, conduct of applied research, and other such activities to aid in the 
effective implementation of a universal newborn hearing screening program; and 
e. To establish and maintain a newborn hearing screening database. 
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following: 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. -Under this Act, the following terms shall mean the 
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a. ”Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program” or “UNHSP” shall refer to the 
program developed for carrying out hearing screening for all babies born in the 
Philippines and for providing adequate interventions for babies with congenital 
hearing loss; 
b. “Congenital hearing loss” shall refer to hearing loss present at birth; 
c. ”Newborn hearing screening database” shall refer to an organized body of 
information related to newborn hearing screening; 
d. “Newborn” shall refer to a child from the time of complete delivery to thirty (30) 
days old; 
e. ”Follow-up” shall refer to the monitoring of a newborn with possible hearing loss for 
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and intervention or treatment; 
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purpose of ensuring that the newborn patient receives additional diagnostic services 
f. 
“Recall” shall refer to a procedure for locating a newborn with a possible hearing 
loss for purposes of providing diagnostic services to confirm hearing condition and, 
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as appropriate, provide intervention or treatment; 
g. ”Newborn Screening Reference Center” shall refer to the central facility at the 
National Institutes of Health that defines testing and follow-up protocols, maintains 
an external laboratory proficiency testing program, oversees the national testing 
database and case registries, assists in training activities in all aspects of the 
program, oversees content of educational materials and acts as the Secretariat of the 
Advisory Committee on Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program; 
h. “Newborn Hearing Screening Center” shall refer to a facility equipped with a 
newborn hearing loss screening and audiologic diagnostic evaluation laboratory that 
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complies with the standards established by the NIH and provides all required 
laboratory tests and recall and follow-up programs for newborns with hearing loss; 
”NIH’ shall refer to the,National Institutes of Health; 
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I, Health Institutions” shall refer to hospitals, health infirmaries, health centers, lying- 
in centers or puericulture centers with obstetrical and pediatric services, whether 
public or private; 
k. ”Newborn hearing loss screening” shall refer to an objective, physiological 
procedure completed in a child thirty (30) days old or below to determine the 
likelihood of hearing loss; 
“Audiologic diagnostic evaluation” shall refer to a service related to diagnosis of 
hearing loss as provided by professionals or centers certified by the NIH, through 
the DOH; 
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m. “Advisory Committee” shall refer to the Advisory Committee on Newborn Hearing 
Screening established under Section 11 of this Act; 
n. “DOH shall refer to the Department of Health; 
0. “Intervention” shall refer, to any act to render service for a child diagnosed with 
hearing loss ranging from counseling, diagnosis, hearing aid or any medical 
procedure for correction of hearing loss; and 
p. “Referral” shall refer to a n  act of sending a patient to another service provider within 
the network for continuation of care. 
SEC. 5. Obligation to Infonn. -Any health practitioner who delivers, or assists in the 
delivery, of a newborn in the Philippines shall, prior to delivery, inform the parents or legal 
guardian of the newborn of the availability, nature and benefits of hearing loss screening among 
newborns or children three months old and below. 
Parents or legal guardians of newborns who, after undergoing newborn hearing loss 
screening, have been found to have congenital hearing loss shall be informed of the availability, 
nature and benefits of diagnostic audiologic evaluation, intervention and treatment options, and 
counseling regarding hearing loss. 
The DOH shall coordinate with the Advisory Committee to ensure the preparation and 
production of informational and educational materials for these purposes and ensure the 
distribution of the same in coordination with public and private health facilities, hospitals and 
local government units. 
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SEC. 6. Obligation to petjorm Nezvborn Hearing Loss Screening and Andiologic 
Diagnostic Enallration. - Upon consent of parents or legal guardians, all babies born in 
hospitals in the Philippines shall be made to undergo newborn hearing loss screening before 
discharge, unless the parents or legal guardians of the newborn object to the screening subject to 
Section 7 of this Act. Babies who are not born in hospitals should he screened within the first 
three (3) months of life. 
In the event of a positive newborn hearing loss screening result, the newborn shaII 
undergo audiologic diagnostic evaluation in a timely manner to allow appropriate follow-up, 
recall and referral for intervention before the age of six (6) months; Provided That, audiologic 
diagnostic evaluation shall be performed by Newborn Hearing Screening Centers duly certified 
by the NIH. 
It shall be the joint responsibility of the parents or legal guardian, and the practitioner or 
other person delivering the newborn to ensure that hearing screening is performed. An 
appropriate informational brochure for parents to assist in fulfilling this responsibility shall be 
made available by the DOIH, through the Advisory Committee, and shall be distributed to all 
health institutions and made available to any health practitioner requesting it for appropriate 
distribution. 
SEC. 7. Refnsal to be Tested. -A parent or legal guardian may refuse hearing loss 
screening on the grounds of religious beliefs but shall acknowledge in writing that they have 
been informed of their responsibility to perform said screening and their understanding that 
refusal for testing places their newborn at risk for undiagnosed congenital hearing loss. A copy 
of this waiver shall be made part of the newborn’s medical record and refusal shall be indicated 
in the national newborn hearing screening database. 
SEC. 8. Continuing Education, Re-education and Training Health Personnel. - 
The DOI-I, with the assistance of the National Institute for Health and other concerned 
government agencies, professional associations and civil society organizations, shall: 
a. conduct continuing information, education, re-education and training 
programs for health personnel on the rationale, benefits, and procedures of 
hearing loss screening; and 
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b. disseminate information materials on newborn screening at least annually to 
all health personnel involved in material and pediatric care. 
SEC. 9. Licensing. -To ensure the timely provision of hearing loss screening to 
newborns, the DOH shall require health institutions to provide hearing loss screening services 
as a condition for licensure. The Advisory Committee shall recommend to the DOH Secretary 
the acceptable standards and technologies of such services. 
SEC. 10. Lead Agency. - The DOH shall be the lead agency in implementing this 
Act. It shall coordinate with all stakeholders from every stage of human development 
and at all levels of society in order to achieve the objectives of this Act. 
For purposes of achieving the objectives of this Act, the DOH shall: 
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Establish an Advisory Committee on Newborn Hearing Screening in the 
Department of Health; 
Coordinate with tlie Department of the Interior and Local Government 
(DILG) and the local government units for implementation of the 
provisions of this Act; arid 
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Coordinate with the Advisory Committee and the NIIH Newborn 
Screening Reference Center for the certification of Newborn Hearing 
Screening Centers and preparation of defined testing protocols and 
quality assurance programs. 
SEC. 11. The Advisory Committee. - To ensure the effective implementation of 
this Act, the Advisory Committee on Newborn Hearing Screening is hereby created to 
facilitate inter-agency coordination and the cooperation of private sector and 
professional associations in policy development, technology development, enforcement 
monitoring, databanking and training. The Advisory Committee sliall be made an 
integral part of the Office of the Secretary of the DOH. It shall be composed of tlie 
Secretary of the DOH as Chairperson; Director of the Philippine National Ear Institute 
as Vice-Chairperson and the following as members: 
a. Philippine Medical Association; 
b. Philippine Pediatric Society; 
c. Philippine Society of Otorhinolaryngologist - Head and Neck Surgery; 
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d. Philippines Obstetrics Gynecologic Society; 
e. Philippine Hospitals Association; 
f. Department of Education; 
g. Department of Interior and Local Government; 
h. Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines; 
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k. Two representatives from civil society organizations. 
A duly organized association of audiologists in the Philippines; 
A duly organized association of midwives in the Philippines; and 
Sec. 12. Responsibilities of the Advisory Committee. -The Advisory Committee 
shall provide technical assistance in the formulation of operational policies, plans and 
programs: 
a. To develop the State’s capacity to support newborn hearing loss screening, 
early diagnosis and intervention; 
b. To monitor the extent to which hearing loss screening and audiologic 
diagnostic evaluation are conducted in health institutions, and assist in the 
development of universal newborn hearing loss screening programs for 
hospitals and non-hospital sites; 
c. To collect data on early detection, diagnosis and intervention that can be used 
for applied research and policy development; 
d. To develop models which ensure effective screening, referral and linkage 
with appropriate diagnostic, medical and qualified early intervention services 
providers and programs within the community; and 
e. To periodically review and recommend the newborn hearing loss screening 
fees to be charged by Newborn Screening Centers and to review the report of 
the Newborn Screening Reference Center on the quality assurance of the 
hearing loss screening and recommend corrective measures as deemed 
necessary. 
SEC. 13. Establishment of Newborn Hearing Screening Center. -Newborn 
Hearing Screening Centers shall be established to provide newborn hearing loss 
screening, audiologic diagnostic evaluation and recall, follow-up and referral programs 
to babies with hearing loss; Provided, That, such centers shall be established through a 
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certification by the NIH based on standards formulated in collaboration with the 
Advisory Corninittee and the DOH. 
Newborn Screening Centers (NSC) established pursuant to Section 12, of 
Republic Act No. 9288, shall adopt and implement a program to develop its capacity to 
become Newborn Hearing Screening Centers. The DOH and the Advisory Committee 
shall develop incentives to encourage the establishment of Newborn Hearing Screening 
Centers other than those under the Newborn Screening Centers. 
SEC. 14. Data Management and Applied Research. - All hospitals and Newborn 
Screening Centers shall periodically submit copies of the, results of the screening tests to the 
NIH Newborn Screening Reference' Center for consolidation of patient databases. The NIH 
Newborn Screening Reference Center shall maintain a national database of children tested and 
a separate registry for those found positive for hearing loss. It shall submit reports annually to 
the Advisory Committee and to the DOH on the status of and relevant health information 
derived from the database. 
A plan for long-term outcome evaluation of hearing loss screening utilizing the case 
registries shall be developed within one (1) year of passage of this Act by the NIH in 
consultation with the Advisory Committee. Implementation of this plan shall become a 
responsibility of the Advisory Committee. 
SEC. 15. Nezobovn Screening Fees. -The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) 
shall include the cost of hearing loss screening in its newborn package. The screening fee shall 
be applied to, among others, testing costs, education, registry, follow-up and reasonable 
overhead expenses. For this purpose, the PHIC shall develop a program for the gradual 
coverage of hearing loss screening, audiologic diagnostic evaluation, and intervention services 
subject to actuarial and feasibility studies. 
SEC. 16. Aiithorization of Appropriations. - 
a. Nafionwide Neu~born Henring Loss Screening, Diagnosis and Inteweiition Nehoorks. -For 
the purpose of carrying out this Act, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated 
to the DOH Fifteen Million Pesos (P15,000,000) for the current fiscal year, Thirty 
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Million Pesos (P30,000,000) for the next fiscal year, and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of the succeeding fiscal years. 
b. Technical Assistance, Data Management and Applied Researclf. -For the purpose of 
carrying our this Act, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the National 
Institutes of Health-Philippine National Ear Institute Five Million Pesos (P5,000,000) 
for the current fiscal year and Seven Million Pesos (P7,000,000) for the next fiscal 
year. 
SEC. 17. Implementing Rules. - Within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this Act, 
the DOH, in collaboration with relevant government agencies and professional associations, 
shall develop the implementing rules and regulations necessary to effectively implement the 
provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 18. Repealing Claiise. -All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations and 
administiative regulations, or any parts thereof, contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are 
hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 19. Separability. -If any provision of this Act shall be held unconstitutional or 
invalid, the other provisions hereof shall remain valid and continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 20. Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at 
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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