For the second consecutive year, the “University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment Kaneff” JSC operates a Health and Consultation Center for Maternal and Child Health. The service was launched in connection with the implementation of the “National Program for the Improvement of Maternal and Child Health,” which is part of the National Health Strategy (2014-2020) adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria.
In the consultation room of the Center, comprehensive services are provided to pregnant women and children. Informational, logistical, and coordination activities are carried out by specialist doctors, a psychologist, and a social worker. All these efforts are directed towards children with disabilities and chronic diseases, premature infants, mothers and pregnant women with pregnancy pathologies during their hospital treatment and/or outpatient monitoring and treatment. On-site at the Health and Consultation Center or at home upon a doctor’s request, services are provided for the prevention of child abandonment and specialized consultations by medical and non-medical specialists.
A department for mass neonatal hearing screening has been established at the Health and Consultation Center for Maternal and Child Health. It is located in the Neonatology Department of the hospital and is equipped with an otoacoustic emissions device. This type of procedure allows for the early diagnosis of hearing impairments, which is essential for timely and successful treatment.
The neonatal hearing screening aims to cover all newborn children in the country. If any deviations or suspicions of impaired hearing are detected, the child is referred for further diagnosis to an Ear-Nose-Throat clinic/department to undertake the necessary treatment.
In this way, children with hearing impairments can achieve normal development, including speech, and full social adaptation and realization.
The test is quick, easy, painless, and takes only a few minutes, usually while the child is asleep. A small rubber tip is placed on the ear, and the device indicates whether the child has normal hearing. There is no need for anesthesia or any other medicinal preparation of the newborn.
The procedure is performed by pediatricians or neonatologists in the presence of the mother. Many causes of hearing loss are treatable, and a large part of the untreatable cases can be managed through hearing aids. Therefore, early detection of hearing loss in children is of utmost importance.
The other office at the center is for laboratory tests and consultations as part of the biochemical screening for pregnant women to assess the risk of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome, spina bifida, anencephaly, and severe abdominal wall defects. The tests and related consultations are conducted free of charge for pregnant women, regardless of their health insurance status. The laboratory tests for pregnant women to assess the risk of giving birth to a child with the most common chromosomal diseases are carried out from the 11th to the 13th plus 6 days of gestational week of pregnancy and from the 15th to the 19th gestational week of pregnancy. Upon delivery of the test results to the pregnant woman, a mandatory genetic consultation is provided. If there are deviations from the norm and an increased risk of giving birth to a child with a chromosomal anomaly, the expectant mother is referred for further testing.
The services are provided on-site at the Health and Consultation Center and/or at the patient’s home according to a pre-arranged schedule. They are completely free for all users, regardless of their health insurance status. The Health and Consultation Center for Maternal and Child Health operates every weekday from 07:30 to 16:00. It is located in the OB/GYN complex of “UMBAH Kaneff” JSC – 1st floor, room 13. The center collaborates with the Directorate of Social Assistance and social services for children. For more information and to schedule a home visit:
Mrs. Krasimira Kuleva – Coordinator of the Health and Consultation Center for Maternal and Child Health
Mobile: (087) 838 5093 Dr. Yosif Novakov