More private hospitals in Hong Kong are expected to join the government’s free newborn screening programme for rare genetic conditions this year, according to health authorities.
The scheme tests newborns for inherited metabolic disorders, enabling early identification and treatment while easing the long-term burden on the public healthcare system.
The programme, launched in 2020, already covers all babies born in public hospitals.
Last year, the screening was extended to two private ones under a pilot scheme.
“We believe that in the first half of this year, other private hospitals will be able to successfully roll out the scheme,” Dr Michael Wong Lap-gate, the Hospital Authority’s director of quality and safety, said on Monday.
He stopped short of revealing how many hospitals the authority was in talks with. So far, the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong have joined the pilot scheme.
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