Contact HSE for your Child's Heel Prick Tests 84-02 before end March 2013

[Sumatra]

To comply with national and EU Data Protection law, screening cards for Heel Prick Tests from babies born between 1984 and 2002 will be disposed of during 2013. From 2013, this will be done every year for cards over 10 years old.

The Irish Heart Foundation says the cards could save the lives of extended family members of more than 1,000 young victims of Sudden Cardiac Death.

If you prefer that the screening card is returned to you and not disposed of in 2013, you can request the card to be returned

[broken link removed]

 

[ajapale]

Am I missing something here?

If all these records are lying around in peoples attics and basements how is this going to help tackle medical problems such as Sudden Cardiac Death? Surely the whole idea of database such as this is that it is held centrally and the data is retrieveable by the scientists doing the research.

 

[Leper]

I dont know too much about infant heel-checks-at-birth. But, if Sumatra is correct, then thousands of heel checks are about to be destroyed annually.

A midwife friend of our family informed me that there are loads of information regarding health in these heel checks.

Store them in your attic at your peril. If heel checks are important (and I think they are), given the chance, I would store mine with my important documents passport, driving licence, last will and testament etc.

Just wondering:- Is there a charge from the HSE for such items? If so, how much?

 

[Sue Ellen]

Have just [broken link removed] and it would appear that they are holding off on disposing of these cards for the moment:

What was announced in March 2013?
Following concerns raised about the potential future value of Newborn Screening Cards, the Minister for Health indicated on March 25th 2013 that an Expert Group is to be set up to consider if a method can be found to archive the material in a manner that satisfies the concerns of the Data Protection Commissioner. This expert group will include representatives from the Attorney General's office.
The Minister has requested that no destruction of the Newborn Screening Cards should take place until the Expert Group has had an opportunity to consider the matter.


Applications for return of screening cards has now closed temporarily, pending the outcome of this expert review.