Strengthening capacity for newborn screening, diagnosis and management of birth defects: WHO technical consultation on planning and implementing services integrated into national health systems in low- and middle-income countries (23 June 2026)

Summary

This report summarises a World Health Organization (WHO) technical consultation focused on strengthening newborn screening, diagnosis and management of birth defects within national health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Conducted through a series of global consultations between 2024 and 2025, the initiative examined state-led programmes and operational models from front-runner LMICs and selected upper-middle-income countries.

The report addresses the growing contribution of birth defects to child mortality and disability as infectious causes of death decline, emphasising the need for LMICs to integrate newborn screening, diagnosis, management and long-term care for one or a few priority conditions into routine health services and universal health coverage.