Progress of Pilot Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening Programme at National University Hospital

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the progress of the pilot Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening programme at the National University Hospital; (b) whether it is on track for completion in 2020; (c) what are the eligibility criteria for joining the programme; (d) whether private patients will be able to join the programme; and (e) what is the number of participants in the programme thus far.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) started a three-year pilot on Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS)1 in 2017. Under the pilot programme, patients who fulfil at least one of the following clinical criteria will be eligible:

(a)  age 35 years old and above, regardless of prognosis;

(b)  two or more recurrent implantation failures, regardless of age; and

(c)  two or more recurrent pregnancy losses, regardless of age.

Eligible patients from the three public Assisted Reproduction (AR) centres, namely, National University Hospital (NUH), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKWCH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH)) can be referred to the NUH lab to undergo PGS. Patients from the private hospitals can also be referred to the three public AR centres for assessment.

As of December 2018, 221 patients were recruited under the PGS programme and MOH will review the pilot programme after completion.