The SNF supports the Upgrade of the Institute of Child Health’s Neonatal Screening Program

On Wednesday, December 12th, the inauguration of the new neonatal screening equipment (GSP System) was held at the Institute of Child Health. The equipment’s procurement was completed with a grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, aiming at upgrading the Institute’s existing Neonatal Screening Program and thereby helping in the identification of a series of disorders, be they genetic, metabolic, hormonal or physical in nature.

Specifically, the SNF grant aims to limit diagnosis time, the high cost of maintaining the existing system and, most importantly, to ensure more accurate results for thousands of newborns each year.

The Institute of Child Health’s Neonatal Screening Program has been in operation since 1974 and is the only program to date in Greece, designed for the purpose of carrying out preventing screening in newborns for the six types of disorders that can be diagnosed from the 3rd day after birth. With the help of the Neonatal Screening Program, an average of 800 newborns, out of a total of 92,000 births per year, are diagnosed with some type of disorder, resulting in early treatment.

The SNF grant to the Institute of Child Health is part of a wider framework of support and care for the health of newborns and children in Greece, through a series of initiatives, including the Pediatric Intensive Care Units’ Renovation Program, which entails renovations and the purchase of equipment for Pediatric and Neonatal ICUs across Greece.