@MATES4Kids side event at the 77th World Health Assembly

On 26 May 2024, CLAN (Caring & Living As Neighbours), @MATES4Kids (Maximising Access To Essential Supplies for Children), International Society for Neonatal Screening (ISNS), and Yayasan Kesehatan Anak Global (YKAG) will be presenting at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA77) in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The theme of this year’s World Health Assembly is “All for Health, Health for All.” Our team will be presenting: “What will it take to scale #Newborn Screening so that #EVERYnewborn has an equal chance to life and health?”

The four key pillars of the WHA77 are:

• Pillar 1: One billion more people benefitting from Universal Health Care
• Pillar 2: One billion more people better protected from health emergencies
• Pillar 3: One billion more people enjoying better health and well-being
• Pillar 4: More effective and efficient WHO providing better support to countries

Urgent scaling of Newborn Screening (NBS) programs so that it is universally available to #EveryChild would strengthen the capacity of health systems to contribute in a meaningful way to all four of these pillars. Scaling NBS will contribute to efforts already underway to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

Universal NBS programs promote early diagnosis and management of treatable childhood non-communicable diseases (NCDs), contributing to the reduction of inequitable and preventable mortality and morbidity. These programs are available in every high-income country, being well established, accepted, and cost-effective. 

Despite this, the majority of low, lower-middle and even upper-middle income countries still do not yet universally screen all newborns for even the most common childhood NCDs, which otherwise cause devastating disability and death. This absence of universal NBS programs contributes to enormous child health inequities and the unacceptable burden of preventable child morbidity and mortality currently experienced in lower-income counties. Equitable access to universal NBS programs is urgently needed. 

CLAN is unwaveringly grateful for the support of all @MATES4Kids participants and their dedication to collaborative efforts in reducing preventable mortality associated with CAH by 30% by 2030! We look forward to continuing to work together as we journey towards 2030. Let’s strive to make newborn screening accessible to #EVERYchild and #LeaveNoChildBehind. 

Please join our event and be part of this movement for change!