Congenital hypothyroidism, when undiagnosed or if there is a lack of proper treatment and management, results in an unnecessary health, economic and social burden. Formalized screening programmes to detect CH in newborn infants, and its timely treatment, can prevent lifelong human suffering caused by severe mental retardation. Screening programs have been introduced successfully in a large number of countries. However, in many other countries, such programmes have not yet been established.