2023-07-03 10:20:39
Without these priority letters, several associations fear a delay in certain neonatal diagnoses requiring rapid action.
An unexpected consequence. With the end of priority letters, the famous red postage stamp, since the beginning of the year, neonatal screening has been hampered. The passage to 48 hours of the routing of the mails formerly transmitted in 24 hours slows down the transmission of the blood samples taken from the newborns and, consequently, delays certain diagnoses.
“A short delivery time for these blotters is essential in order to be able to analyze the blood collected as quickly as possible”, writes the Rare Diseases Alliance in a press release.
In coordination with other associations, it points in particular to two diseases, leucinosis and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which “can lead to comas, long hospitalizations in intensive care and death from the first days following birth” and calls to “do everything to detect as soon as possible to avoid these dramatic situations”.
Thirteen pathologies screened
Neonatal screening has existed since 1972 and aims to detect and provide early treatment for rare but serious diseases, most of which are genetic in origin. A few drops of blood are taken on the third day of the child at the latest, placed on a blotter in an envelope and sent to the Regional Neonatal Screening Center where analyzes are carried out.
In its press release, the Rare Diseases Alliance explains that “more than 37 million newborns have been screened in France and more than 30,000 children have had their lives saved or have been able to avoid a serious handicap, thanks to care fast”.
In addition, since January 1, neonatal screening has been extended to seven additional diseases, bringing it to the detection of thirteen pathologies in total, an advance welcomed by health professionals.
“We are just talking regarding life or death”, denounces to France Inter Hélène Gaillard, president of the association Alliance rare diseases.
“At best 48 hours”
“We are going to explain to a mother whose child will die or be in a coma, with a possible disability that may follow, that the mail did not arrive soon enough. It is not understandable”, she continues.
The associations specify that today, the delivery of blotters is done at best in 48 hours and that a “very significant increase in blotters sent in more than four days has been observed in several regions”.
They denounce a deterioration of health conditions in the country because of a “purely commercial policy” of the Post Office, “as part of one of its public service missions”.
The Chronopost solution
“Instead, we are offered devices that are not only more expensive, but above all which are not operational since they would require additional secretarial staff that we do not have”, regrets Professor Emmanuel Rusch, head of the National Center for coordination of neonatal screening (CNCDN), in Figaro.
To guarantee delivery within 24 hours, La Poste is considering a “tailor-made” solution thanks to the Chronopost network. However, according to the calculations of the CNCDN, this would multiply the cost of transport by seven, not counting the price of the envelopes, hitherto pre-printed, or the additional human time required.
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