The document designed by the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) will be inclusive and will contain more data, such as the weight of the mother, before and after the birth of the baby, humanization of childbirth, late ligation of the cord, ethnic group and classification of sexual maturity , among others. The card will be sent to public and private providers between the months of October and November, in electronic and printed format.
The general director of Health, Miguel Asqueta, and the coordinator of the Children’s Health Program, Alicia Fernández, presented, this Wednesday the 14th, at the ministry’s headquarters, the new pediatric card, for children up to 12 years of age, with the which unifies the previous four: boy and girl, and trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), also for both.
The new document will include more data, such as the weight of the mother, before and after the birth of the baby, in the understanding that communicable diseases originate before pregnancy; humanization of childbirth, which refers to the baby’s time at the breast, if she wishes and both are in a position to do so, and late cord ligation, which is a predictive factor to avoid anemia.
Another novelty is that the possibility for parents to mention the ethnic group of the child is incorporated and the Tanner scale is included, which is a classification of sexual maturity, contains secondary changes in later growth stages, such as pubic hair and breast and testicular development, and is useful for detecting early or late puberty.
The card presented also contemplates the curve for premature babies, in the understanding that the head circumference, height and weight are different from those of a full-term child. This data allows the pediatrician to verify if it is growing as expected.
The authorities anticipate that the document may reach users in digital or paper format. In the latter case, the printing of 50,000 copies is expected. It is estimated that it will be in circulation between the end of October and November and that it will be sent to all public and private health providers.
From the ministry it is understood that the instrument will contribute to adequate pediatric control. As for parents, not only must they comply with the health requirements of children, but they are also recommended to read the card, which will contain care recommendations related to breastfeeding, safe sleep, prevention of road accidents, unintentional injuries and drowning. .
