Taiwan to fully cover newborn screening, add SMA testing in July

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) Taiwan will fully subsidize newborn screening tests and add spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to the list of publicly funded screening items starting in July, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of an Asia-Pacific rare disease innovative treatment center in Taipei, Shih said the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) will increase the subsidy for congenital metabolic disorder screening from the current partial coverage of NT$200 (US$6.35) to fully cover the NT$750 per test.

Currently, the HPA partially subsidizes screenings for 21 conditions, including 18 rare diseases, with parents paying the remaining balance, Shih said.

Beginning in July, SMA will be added as the 22nd publicly funded screening item, he added.

Shih noted that the expanded program will benefit the 90,000 to 100,000 babies born in Taiwan annually, backed by a budget allocation of nearly NT$100 million.

Newborn screening, typically conducted 48 hours after birth, serves as an infant's first health check. Because congenital metabolic disorders often lack visible symptoms at birth, delayed diagnosis can lead to permanent neurological or physical damage, according to the HPA.

Jong Yuh-jyh (鐘育志), a pediatric specialist at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, said SMA was once considered an incurable, fatal disease. However, medical advances have transformed it into a manageable condition, as long as treatment starts early.

With several SMA therapies now covered by National Health Insurance, the key to successful treatment is early intervention, Jong said.

Citing medical literature, Jong added that infants diagnosed and treated before symptoms appear have shown markedly better outcomes, with studies indicating such children were able to walk independently by 18 months of age.

He also described a clinical case where a baby diagnosed through newborn screening received early treatment and later developed normally.

Meanwhile, the HPA reminded parents that a positive screening result is not a definitive diagnosis, but an urgent signal to schedule follow-up examinations.

Taiwan's newborn screening rate currently exceeds 99 percent, according to the agency.