Neonatal Hearing Screening In Albania Position Paper

This position paper was designed for all supervisors of the Albanian health system and for health personnel who provide care for children after birth in the primary, secondary, and tertiary health care services. It can be a useful reference for Save the Children staff and other stakeholders integrating early screening for hearing loss into newborn examination. The goal of this paper is to shed light on the issue of congenital hearing loss, how to screen and diagnose it, to inform about the legal basis and the relevant protocol approved by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The paper provides an analysis of the direct costs and economic benefits of investing in this screening program, as well as to make other recommendations for organizing the provision of this service at the regional and national level. This material was published through the project “Improving life conditions of people with hearing impairment in Albania” financed by Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development and implemented by Save the Children in partnership with Independent Forum of Albanian Women