UAE Announces National Newborn Screening Guidelines

UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced the National Newborn Screening Guidelines, which aim to standardise and improve the medical examination procedures for newborns across the country. With the recent guidelines, UAE focuses on preventing early health complications by standardising the list of necessary laboratory and clinical tests and identifying designated reference laboratories nationwide.

According to Emirates News Agency, the National Newborn Screening Guidelines will standardise the quality of care for all newborns through continuous quality improvement principles. The regulations provide consistent and clear screening procedures, including the detection, diagnosis, and intervention for conditions that could impact the health or long-term survival of a newborn.

Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, noted that the guidelines facilitate the early diagnosis of genetic diseases, metabolic and endocrine disorders, as well as screening for hearing abnormalities and heart defects. Moreover, it also seeks to raise community awareness of the importance of newborn screening and supports the establishment of an extensive database on genetic diseases.