Romania to provide 19 free tests for newborns starting in 2026
Last week, Romania launched the National Neonatal Screening Registry, a program that involves the free testing of newborns for 19 genetic and metabolic diseases.
Neonatal screening involves taking a small blood sample from the newborn shortly after birth. Through this analysis, genetic or metabolic diseases can be identified, which, if left untreated, may cause severe disabilities. If detected in time, many of them can be kept under control, and complications can be prevented.
At present, babies are tested for only three conditions of this type: phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, and cystic fibrosis.
The new program involves metabolic, hearing, and cardiac screening, but also screening for chromosomal syndromes. The expansion of neonatal screening is considered an essential step in offering all children a real chance at a healthy life and in aligning Romania with European standards, according to Totuldespremame.ro.
The program was launched on Friday, February 27, in the presence of Romanian health minister Alexandru Rogobete, representatives of the World Health Organization and other state officials, but also Mirabela Grădinaru, the partner of president Nicușor Dan.
“It is an essential step for the future of our children, so that every newborn has access to prevention, diagnosis, intervention, and appropriate treatment from the very first days of life. And this registry does exactly that, it creates a framework in which no child is lost from sight,” stated Mirabela Grădinaru, who previously revealed that she faced a series of challenges with the birth of her children, both premature.
The launch, organized by the Ministry of Health and hosted by the Presidential Administration, is part of a series of events carried out in collaboration by the two entities, under the umbrella of the project “Romania in Light,” the Presidency’s social project.
Romania and other EU states are currently witnessing a drop in births. The resident population fell to 19.043 million as of January 1, 2025, down by 24,400 people compared with the previous year. The main driver of the decline was a negative natural balance, with the number of deaths exceeding live births by 100,900 people.
(Photo source: Konstantin Shishkin|Dreamstime.com)
