Delhi: Anmol scheme for newborns’ early screening gets govt nod

Delhi government launches ANMOL newborn screening program to detect congenital disorders, covering 150,000-250,000 infants annually with 56 free tests.

The Delhi government on Tuesday approved the implementation of a newborn screening programme aimed at ensuring early detection and management of congenital disorders across the Capital.

Singh said that the programme will enable timely identification and management of a wide range of metabolic, endocrine, functional, and visible congenital conditions. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh told HT on Tuesday that the programme–Advanced Newborn Monitoring and Optimal Life Care (ANMOL)–will cover around 150,000 to 250,000 newborns annually, ensuring screenings across all government health facilities and outreach centres.

Singh said that the programme will enable timely identification and management of a wide range of metabolic, endocrine, functional, and visible congenital conditions such as cleft lip and palate, clubfoot, neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), limb reduction defects (missing/misshapen limbs), polydactyly (extra digits), and facial features associated with Down syndrome.

In the Delhi budget, chief minister Rekha Gupta launched the scheme and alloted ₹25 crore for it. The scheme will provide 56 diagnostic tests for newborns, free of cost, across government and private hospitals.

On Tuesday, the health minister added that a key component of the initiative is strengthening human resources to support large-scale implementation. The programme needs 148 people for its implementation, including the 73 existing laboratory and field staff. Around 60 staff nurses and 15 optometrists are needed, officials said.

According to officials, the programme will strengthen coordination between hospitals, laboratories, and programme management units, ensuring seamless data flow of all newborns before discharge. Special focus has been placed on high-delivery-load hospitals and neonatal intensive care units to ensure effective implementation.