Uganda Unveils Advanced New Born Screening Technology
23rd April/2026; Kampala.
Uganda has taken a significant step forward in the fight against congenital disorders with the commissioning of an advanced newborn screening machine at the National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services (NHLDS).
The development is part of a five-year pilot under the Consortium of Newborn Screening in Africa (CONSA), supported by the American Society for Hematology (ASH), and implemented across seven African countries—Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia.
The machine was commissioned by the Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, who unveiled the Gel Scanner Machine an advanced system that automates the Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) process. The technology is expected to significantly increase testing output per Migel machine, improving both efficiency and turnaround time in newborn screening.
“With this capacity built at our Laboratory and the efficiency it brings on board, Uganda’s New Born screening capacity has been increased extensively. This has been timely as we are in the process of increasing coverage for NBS until its universal”, Dr. Ruth stated.
Developed and installed by Revvity, the machine is the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, marking a major milestone for Uganda’s diagnostic capacity. According to Marika Kase, Revvity supports the testing of over 33 million babies annually in 550 laboratories, within 110 countries across the global. Their newborn screening technology is able to test for over 56 disorders from one DBS sample collected from a baby.
“The machine offers a complete solution for sickle cell newborn screening. It is a cost-effective, efficient and safe way to test for sickle cell disease from a new born. The Central Public Health Laboratory already has many systems that can be leveraged like sample transport, laboratory information system etc. to support the expansion of newborn screening,” said Marika Kase from Revvity.
The commissioning coincided with a regional training that brought together participants from seven African countries under CONSA, highlighting growing collaboration in addressing sickle cell disease across the continent.
Uganda currently operates two CONSA sites at Jinja and Lira Regional Referral Hospitals. Since 2021, a total of 29,080 infants have been tested, with 419 confirmed positive for sickle cell disease.
“I know the challenge of poor confirmatory testing coverage and inconsistent results is not unique to Uganda but shared across other African countries. Therefore, coming to learn from each other is valuable. Thanks to CONSA for upholding high standards of quality in this project”, Dr Ruth adds.
Dr. Aceng called on NHLDS to prioritize budgeting for IEF reagents and to centralize newborn screening services, complemented by point-of-care testing in areas where centralized services are not readily accessible.
She also urged Revvity to consider providing an additional machine capable of screening multiple congenital disorders using the same dried blood sample, an innovation that could further expand Uganda’s diagnostic reach.
Newborn screening plays a critical role in identifying congenital disorders early in life, enabling timely intervention and better health outcomes. Beyond diagnosis, affected infants are linked to care, ensuring access to essential medicines and treatment.
