Overview
- Delhi’s 2026–27 budget launches the ANMOL pilot with Rs 25 crore to offer 56 tests free for every newborn in public and private hospitals from a single blood sample.
- The panel uses a few drops of dried blood and Tandem Mass Spectrometry to spot dozens of metabolic disorders, with added bedside checks for hearing loss and congenital heart disease.
- Doctors expect more diagnosed cases of inborn errors of metabolism and other rare conditions due to wider screening, which allows earlier treatment and faster transfers in the critical first hour.
- The move opens access to tests that private providers priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 1 lakh, while some treatments can run into several lakhs a year, a burden many families cannot bear.
- Clinicians welcome the plan but say impact depends on specialist labs, timely confirmatory testing, assured treatment, and tracked follow-up, as the government also readies a live ICU and ventilator bed availability system to cut emergency delays.