In 2018, some research has been published that has shown that over 1,000 children are born annually in Romania with a congenital heart malformation, a rate of 8-10 children per 1,000 newborns. Equally, scientists identified 4,000 birth defects ranging from minor to serious and severe.
Specialists have found that the most common congenital malformations are related to neural tube defects that occur when it does not close in the first month of embryonic development. There are also many other birth defects that may occur during pregnancy, such as those of the nervous system or the brain, various sensory problems, metabolic and degenerative disorders.
From the perspective of the 20 years of activity and the many cases handled, we can say that most children with congenital defects also appear in the case of parents without significant health problems. In most of the situations, the future mother fully respects the obstetrician's instructions, and yet the newborn is born with health problems, explains Lorena Ionescu - Director of Customer Relations, MediHelp International.
Fetal development specialists claim that 60% of the causes of birth defects are still unknown. However, there are a number of factors that depend on the mother or the external environment and which influence the development of the fetus. These include: personal habits, lifestyle, mother’s exposure to various toxic substances at work, environmental factors, family medical history. Despite all the efforts made to discover the causes of the defects, many questions about the exact nature of predisposing factors remain unanswered.
In this context, the contribution of a private health insurance with international coverage is essential. If the parent is the beneficiary of such a plan, he/she may request that the child be covered from the first day of life. Thus, one or more children of a family will be insured from the moment they come to the world, and the great benefit is that the insurance also covers congenital and hereditary conditions. Thus, in the unfortunate situation in which the newborn has a congenital malformation not observed during pregnancy, the parents will not have any financial pressure related to medical checks and treatments and will be able to focus on the recovery of their child's health,, adds Lorena Ionescu.
The mother’s attention on prevention is one of the elements that helps the fetus to develop as well as possible. This involves, among other things: testing for sexually transmitted diseases, consuming the recommended dosage of folic acid and prenatal vitamins before conceiving the child, avoiding unnecessary medicines during pregnancy and accessing a private health insurance for both the mother and the child.
