The District Medical Council of Szczecin appeals to the Minister of Health Izabela Leszczyna to expand biochemical tests performed on women in the first trimester of pregnancy. - We recognize that this is a test that should be performed in the standard of services available to pregnant patients. We are in favor of expanding patient safety," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin. The District Medical Council's appeal was sent to the Health Ministry in June. No response has yet been received.
ORL in Szczecin: need to expand testing for pregnant women
Published July 25, 2024 09:35
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The Regional Medical Council in Szczecin is appealing to Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna to include placental growth factor determination in accordance with the recommendations of the Polish Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians as part of services offered with public funds.
"It should be remembered that prenatal testing, in particular, in the first trimester, allows not only the detection of birth defects in the fetus, but also allows the prediction of other abnormalities such as fetal growth restriction or the risk of pre-eclampsia in the pregnant woman. Despite the expansion of accessibility to prenatal testing, biochemical testing has not been extended to market pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction," the letter reads.
Doctors point out that the number of women with risk factors for this condition and intrauterine growth restriction of the fetus will increase. In their opinion, it is necessary to introduce into the program of prenatal testing in the first trimester of pregnancy the determination of placental growth factor, the value of mean arterial pressure, the value of the index of pulsation of the uterine arteries once a targeted interview with the patient.
"Identifying a group of patients with increased risk will enable the implementation of therapy with acetylsalicylic acid, which will significantly reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia and growth restriction in the fetus. What is equally important is that in addition to the health benefits, this will also result in savings in the financing of complications of the mentioned conditions," points out the ORL in Szczecin.
