Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 September 2020
135. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the newborn bloodspot screening test will be expanded from identifying eight rare treatable illnesses to 40 which is the current practice in Italy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24291/20]
View answerThe National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) was established in 2019 and has held three meetings to date.
The Committee’s role is to undertake an independent assessment of the evidence for screening for a particular condition against internationally accepted criteria and make recommendations accordingly.
Professor Niall O’Higgins was appointed as Chair of the NSAC in 2019 and was asked that the Committee prioritise an examination of the approaches for the expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme ('heelprick test') and work in that regard has been progressed by the Committee.
Ireland has traditionally evaluated the case for commencing a national screening programme against the internationally accepted criteria (collectively known as Wilson Jungner criteria). The evidence bar for commencing a screening programme should and must remain high. This evidence threshold ensures that we can be as confident as we can be that the programme in question is effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards for the population.
The Committee will evaluate submissions and provide recommendations on a case by case basis. A meeting of the NSAC took place on 17 July 2020 where the Committee considered;
(1) the addition of ADA-SCID to the blood spot screening programme and
(2) a change in the screening pathway of the Diabetic RetinaScreen programme.
After the meeting the Chair of the Committee wrote to me advising that ADA-SCID should be added to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme. I have accepted the recommendation and advised the HSE of this decision. The HSE will now make the necessary arrangements for the inclusion of this condition in the list of conditions screened for as part of the Programme.
Any future potential changes to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme will be incorporated as part of the Committee's work programme.
Updates in relation to the work of the Committee will be posted on the NSAC website available at https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/nsac/.
I am strongly committed to identifying any opportunities that exist in this area and to their implementation.
