Newborn Screening Gets 2 Major Benefits: Full Subsidy and SMA Inclusion from July
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced two reforms for newborn screening. Starting July, the subsidy will become full coverage (increasing from NT$200 to NT$750), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) will be added to the screening items. This is expected to benefit nearly 100,000 people, promoting early detection and treatment.
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- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 13:17
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Central News Agency (Taipei, May 12) - Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang announced two reforms for the National Health Administration's newborn screening. Starting July this year, the current partial subsidy will change to a full subsidy, increasing the screening fee from NT$200 to NT$750. In addition, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) will be added to the original 21 screening items. Nearly 100,000 people are expected to benefit.
"Newborn screening for congenital metabolic disorders" is the baby's first health check after birth. All babies need to undergo newborn screening 48 hours after birth. Since symptoms of congenital metabolic disorders are usually not obvious in infancy and are difficult to detect from appearance, once symptoms appear, permanent neurological and physical damage may have already occurred.
Shih Chung-liang attended the launch press conference of the Asia-Pacific Rare Disease Innovative Treatment Center this morning. In his speech, he stated that the current 21 items of newborn screening for congenital metabolic disorders subsidized by the National Health Administration, 18 of which are rare diseases, have an average annual newborn screening rate of over 99%. The current partial subsidy of NT$200, with the difference paid by parents, will be changed to a full subsidy starting July this year, increasing the subsidy to NT$750.
In addition, SMA will be added to the original 21 newborn screening items as a public expense screening item starting July this year. Shih Chung-liang said he hopes to detect newborns with genetic rare disease risks early and treat them with health insurance drugs as soon as possible. These two public newborn screening reforms are expected to benefit 90,000 to 100,000 people, with a budget injection of nearly NT$100 million.
Dr. Chung Yu-chih, attending physician of the Department of Pediatrics at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, said that SMA used to be a fatal disease for newborns. With medical advancements, SMA is no longer a fatal disease, and related drugs have been included in health insurance. The key to treatment is to seize the golden treatment period.
Dr. Chung Yu-chih stated that according to literature, babies who received treatment early through screening before symptoms appeared had a 100% rate of walking independently after 18 months. He has encountered SMA babies in his clinic who were detected early through newborn screening and started treatment, and are now no different from normal children. This shows that newborn screening significantly improves the survival rate and recovery status of patients.
The National Health Administration reminds that if the newborn screening result for congenital metabolic disorders is positive, it does not mean that the disease is confirmed. As long as parents arrange for the baby to undergo further confirmatory examinations as soon as they receive notification, some congenital metabolic disorders can be detected early and treated appropriately.
The collaboration between industry, government, and academia launched the Asia-Pacific Rare Disease Innovative Treatment Center, which will deepen the resilience of rare disease care by combining local advantages. Chen Yu-jui, Chairman of the Taiwan Medical and Health Industry Excellence Alliance Foundation, said that all cases are important partners for Taiwan to accumulate real-world data. Through systematic clinical feedback, data will directly deepen Taiwan's local R&D energy, ultimately benefiting local patients in Taiwan. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150512
"Newborn screening for congenital metabolic disorders" is the baby's first health check after birth. All babies need to undergo newborn screening 48 hours after birth. Since symptoms of congenital metabolic disorders are usually not obvious in infancy and are difficult to detect from appearance, once symptoms appear, permanent neurological and physical damage may have already occurred.
Shih Chung-liang attended the launch press conference of the Asia-Pacific Rare Disease Innovative Treatment Center this morning. In his speech, he stated that the current 21 items of newborn screening for congenital metabolic disorders subsidized by the National Health Administration, 18 of which are rare diseases, have an average annual newborn screening rate of over 99%. The current partial subsidy of NT$200, with the difference paid by parents, will be changed to a full subsidy starting July this year, increasing the subsidy to NT$750.
In addition, SMA will be added to the original 21 newborn screening items as a public expense screening item starting July this year. Shih Chung-liang said he hopes to detect newborns with genetic rare disease risks early and treat them with health insurance drugs as soon as possible. These two public newborn screening reforms are expected to benefit 90,000 to 100,000 people, with a budget injection of nearly NT$100 million.
Dr. Chung Yu-chih, attending physician of the Department of Pediatrics at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, said that SMA used to be a fatal disease for newborns. With medical advancements, SMA is no longer a fatal disease, and related drugs have been included in health insurance. The key to treatment is to seize the golden treatment period.
Dr. Chung Yu-chih stated that according to literature, babies who received treatment early through screening before symptoms appeared had a 100% rate of walking independently after 18 months. He has encountered SMA babies in his clinic who were detected early through newborn screening and started treatment, and are now no different from normal children. This shows that newborn screening significantly improves the survival rate and recovery status of patients.
The National Health Administration reminds that if the newborn screening result for congenital metabolic disorders is positive, it does not mean that the disease is confirmed. As long as parents arrange for the baby to undergo further confirmatory examinations as soon as they receive notification, some congenital metabolic disorders can be detected early and treated appropriately.
The collaboration between industry, government, and academia launched the Asia-Pacific Rare Disease Innovative Treatment Center, which will deepen the resilience of rare disease care by combining local advantages. Chen Yu-jui, Chairman of the Taiwan Medical and Health Industry Excellence Alliance Foundation, said that all cases are important partners for Taiwan to accumulate real-world data. Through systematic clinical feedback, data will directly deepen Taiwan's local R&D energy, ultimately benefiting local patients in Taiwan. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150512