WHO call puts UAE’s 815-condition newborn genomics rollout under scrutiny

WHO urged countries on 23 June 2026 to expand newborn screening, raising immediate workflow questions for UAE hospitals managing newborn tests, referrals and reporting.

For UAE hospital executives, the number to remember is 815: Abu Dhabi’s newborn genetic screening programme now offers whole genome sequencing for more than 815 treatable childhood genetic conditions.

WHO’s screening benchmark

The World Health Organization (WHO) report, Strengthening capacity for newborn screening, diagnosis and management of birth defects, says an estimated 8 million babies are born with a birth defect each year. Birth defects now account for almost 8% of deaths among children under five.

"No child should miss the chance for a healthy future because a congenital condition was not detected early enough," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

WHO named congenital hypothyroidism, sickle-cell disease, hearing impairment and some metabolic disorders as conditions where early detection can change care. The report also identified a wide screening gap: some countries screen all newborns for more than 50 conditions, while others screen for none.

• India screened more than 28 million children over 3 years and identified about 900,000 with a birth defect.
• Philippines expanded a pilot in 24 hospitals into a programme covering newborns for 29 conditions through more than 7,000 facilities.
• Sri Lanka screens around 80% of newborns for congenital hypothyroidism.
• Egypt integrated universal screening for hearing and congenital hypothyroidism into primary care.

UAE compliance duties

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) launched National Newborn Screening Guidelines on 29 July 2024 to standardise required laboratory and clinical tests and identify designated reference laboratories nationwide.

MOHAP said in 2018 that its genetic and neonatal screening laboratory provided national-scale newborn testing for government and private newborns in the UAE. MOHAP listed screening for 40 genetic diseases, including phenylketonuria, sickle-cell anaemia, congenital malformations, biotin deficiency disease and galactosaemia.

In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Health (DoH) standard effective January 2025 applies to DoH-licensed maternity and birthing providers. It requires newborn physical examination, hearing screening, critical congenital heart disease screening and heel-prick blood spot screening. The blood spot test should be collected within 24 to 48 hours, with testing arranged before 72 hours if the infant leaves hospital early.

DoH also requires results to be reported through its e-notification system. Payment matters for CFOs: newborn screening performed during inpatient delivery is treated as part of the delivery service and covered under the maternity benefit. That puts margin pressure on providers that treat screening as an add-on task instead of a bundled maternity process.

Abu Dhabi genomics follow-up

Abu Dhabi raised the screening ceiling on 18 August 2025, when DoH launched a newborn genetic screening programme offering whole genome sequencing for more than 815 treatable childhood genetic conditions. The first phase was implemented at Kanad Hospital and Danat Al Emarat Hospital with M42.

The DoH programme uses cord blood samples at birth with parental consent. It covers metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies, haematologic conditions and rare diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy. DoH said results are reported within 21 days, with genetic counselling and multidisciplinary referral for actionable findings.

Dubai operators should review the WHO report against Dubai Health Authority (DHA) obstetric and neonatal service standards, which reference dried blood spot specimen collection and newborn screening quality assurance. Northern Emirates providers face MOHAP and Emirates Health Services pathways, including national reference laboratory coordination.

The next pressure point is interoperability. Screening programmes fail when a positive laboratory result does not trigger paediatric referral, genetic counselling, payer documentation and parent communication inside a traceable workflow. UAE maternity groups should audit 2026 newborn pathways against four questions: sample timing, result reporting, refusal documentation and specialist follow-up.