Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 May 2024
475. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 661 of 30 April 2024, if his attention has been drawn to concerns that Ireland is falling behind other EU member states regarding the newborn screening process and the number of diseases assessed at this milestone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23979/24]
View answerThe expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening (NBS) Programme remains a key objective of mine as Minister for Health. As outlined in the reply to the Parliamentary Question referenced, work continues to progress in this regard.
I am glad to confirm that officials in my Department are continuing to collaborate with the HSE National Children’s Screening Programme on implementing an ambitious timeline for the introduction of two new condition to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening (NBS) Programme that I recently approved - Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). This will bring the number of conditions screened for in Ireland to 11, once the implemented, and will represent a 37% increase achieved under the lifetime of this Government.
It is important to stress that Ireland is not taking longer than other countries to assess and implement additions to the newborn bloodspot screening programme and patient advocates and clinicians are involved in these processes. Careful consideration must be given to the expansion of any screening programme and this can take time. It is important that decisions are made based on internationally accepted criteria and scientific rigour to ensure our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.
The expansion of newborn bloodspot screening is being continually reviewed across Europe, where the number of conditions screened for varies significantly. It should also be noted that the NBS programmes in some European countries operate on a regional rather than national basis. This complicates the comparison between Ireland with other European countries with structurally different screening systems.
