Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) ranks very high among the most common disorders treated in a paediatric endocrinology clinic. In the Western world, CH is detected in 1:3,500 to 1:4,000 newborns (1) by the neonatal thyroid screening (NTS) programme. The main goal of NTS commenced in the 1970s is an early diagnosis of CH and prompt initiation of ongoing thyroxine replacement therapy, to be administered regularly for the affected infants. This measure is aimed to avoid the inevitable outcome of permanent neurological handicap in untreated children or in whom onset of treatment was considerably delayed. When treated early, CH is also one of the most common preventable causes of mental retardation. In this regard, while emphasizing the role of NTS in early diagnosis, it is worthy of note that the incidence of CH reported from NTS carried out in various centres in India is much higher, viz., 1:1,200 to 1:1,500 newborns. (2). Naturally, it follows that NTS must be universally available in India to identify all affected infants by prompt diagnosis to begin regular replacement therapy in the initial two weeks of life (3).