Health insurers should cover vitamin D screening for pregnant women, doctors say

ABU DHABI // Doctors say that health insurers that will not cover vitamin D screening for pregnant women are creating problems.

Dr Fady Hachem, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Burjeel Hospital, said that up to 70 per cent of his patients who are pregnant suffer vitamin D deficiency but that insurer Daman, for example, no longer covers screening.

“We face the problem that insurance doesn’t approve the test. They tell us to treat people and not do the test,” he said.

“If the insurance covers, we do the test. If not, we give the vitamin like a supplement.”

His recommendation is that a screening should be done to check if there is a deficiency and to determine how much vitamin D a patient needs.

Daman only covers tests for those with ailments such as osteoporosis, rickets and kidney disorders.

People who suffer from malabsorption syndrome and patients who take medication that affect the body’s ability to absorb vitamin D are also covered.

Emiratis can claim the tests, which cost between Dh150 and Dh500, on their Thiqa cards.

Dr Anselma Ferrao, an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant and medical director at Abu Dhabi’s BrightPoint Women’s Hospital, said that Health Authority Abu Dhabi recommends that pregnant women be screened for vitamin D deficiency.

“Insurance is not covering it, so the patients are paying for the screening. We are doing the tests and most of the patients are deficient in vitamin D,” said Dr Ferrao.

The baby gets its vitamin D from the mother and if the mother is deficient, the child will also be deficient.

“My suggestion would be that every patient should be given at least 1,000 units of vitamin D. Most of them are deficient and some may have normal vitamin D levels. We haven’t seen anyone who has had very high levels of vitamin D,” said the doctor.

“If a patient refuses to take the test, ie: if she doesn’t want to pay, I would give her 1,000 international units of vitamin D per day.”

Dr Ferrao said that “health authorities need more screening like they do for breast cancer. People refuse to get the tests done as it’s not covered”.

Dr Izzeldin Hussein, professor and regional coordinator at Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition in the UK, believed that supplements must be taken under primary healthcare supervision.

“It’s recommended that a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D be taken every day during pregnancy and while breastfeeding but under medical supervision,” he said.