Taiwan to fully fund newborn screenings for 22 disorders

台灣將全額補助新生兒22項疾病的篩檢

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that beginning in July, the government will fully fund screenings for 22 congenital disorders in newborns, expanding support for early disease detection and treatment.

Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said the new policy replaces the previous partial subsidy system, meaning parents will no longer need to cover any portion of newborn screening costs, per UDN.

The updated program also adds screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare inherited neuromuscular disorder. The ministry estimates the expanded screenings will cost about NT$100 million annually.

Shih said Taiwan remains among the leading countries in Asia in terms of newborn disease screening. While some countries, such as Malaysia, only provide government-funded screening for one or two conditions, Taiwan has steadily expanded its program from 11 screening items in 2019 to 22 this year.

SMA causes progressive muscle weakness and atrophy because of degeneration of motor neurons and can severely impair respiratory function in serious cases. The disease was once associated with extremely high infant mortality rates, but recent advances in gene therapy, oral medications, and spinal injection treatments have significantly improved outcomes.

Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system already covers several costly SMA treatments, including a one-time gene therapy treatment, which officials described as a milestone in rare disease care. Shih said early diagnosis and treatment are critical for improving outcomes in children, as a child’s future development and quality of life can be dramatically different, per UDN.

According to research cited by the ministry, about one in 48 people in Taiwan carries the SMA gene mutation, suggesting there may be nearly 500,000 carriers nationwide. Medical experts have long advocated adding SMA to Taiwan’s publicly funded newborn screening program because of the benefits of early intervention and treatment.