Population Screening Act: tuberculosis screening

In this advisory report the Health Council’s Committee on Population Screening assesses a licence application for tuberculosis screening. In accordance with the Population Screening Act, a licence is required for population screening involving ionising radiation, which is used for the X-ray photographs in screening for tuberculosis. The Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Sport requested the Health Council for an advisory report on the application submitted by the Dutch Municipal Health Services’ umbrella organisation, GGD Nederland, for an extension of the licence for tuberculosis screening, and on the transition from analogue to digital X-ray photography in tuberculosis screening. The Health Council's last advisory report on screening for tuberculosis was in 1999. Limited to the significance for tuberculosis screening, the Committee has checked the application, the Minister’s request and developments since 1999 against the statutory criteria of the Population Screening Act, specifically scientific soundness, compliance with statutory rules on medical procedures, and the benefit and associated risks for the individuals to be screened.