There are well established international criteria to be met before a national population- based screening programme can be recommended.
The Office of the Chief Medical Officer has informed me that the current position in the NHS arising from an evidence review conducted by the UK National Screening Committee and that is that a population screening programme for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is not recommended.
Arising from a recommendation from the Scally Report (2018) a National Screening Committee (NSC) will be established and become operational in Ireland during the course of 2019. The NSC will be responsible for advising the Minister and Department of Health on all new proposals for screening. However, currently there is insufficient evidence to support the introduction of population screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Ireland at this time.