The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) is poised to unveil a NT$146 million (US$4.5 million) budget to fund additional free checkups to detect developmental impairments in children under the age of seven, which are to start from July 1, it said yesterday.
The program is expected to benefit an estimated 400,000 children by the first half of next year, Maternal and Child Health Division senior technical specialist Lin Chen-su (林真夙) said.
The HPA currently provides children in that age group seven free checkups focused on family health history, weight, height, and the health of their eyes, ears and mouths, among other indicators for proper child development, Lin said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
The examinations also focus on taking a development inventory to measure a child’s progress in gross motor and fine motor skills, verbal communication, language comprehension, self-care and socialization, she said.
Since last year, the agency has provided health check services to 870,000 children, representing a 78.6 percent utilization rate, she said.
Citing WHO data, Lin said that developmental delay affects 6 to 8 percent of children worldwide, higher than the 2.2 percent rate of developmental delay reported among children younger than six in Taiwan.
That suggests a large number of children with impairments are not being diagnosed or receiving appropriate assistance or treatment, she said.
In response, the HPA plans to provide an additional six free checkups to boost the early diagnosis and treatment that is crucial in ensuring children with disabilities or impairments receive the help they need, Lin said.
The tests would use a child development inventory with indicators adjusted to conditions in Taiwan, and would be conducted every six to 10 months or when a child is about 10 months, 18 months, two years, three years, five years and seven years old, she said.
Doctors participating in the program would receive a NT$400 subsidy for appointments and another NT$250 for each child with developmental delay they refer to HPA-approved clinics or hospitals, Lin said.
Parents should expect to to bring their children to the same hospital or clinic normally used for their health exams, she said.
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