In a bid to tackle inherited genetic diseases among newborn babies, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday inaugurated the UMMID' initiative and a NIDAN Kendra at the Lady Hardinge Hospital in New Delhi.
Vardhan, speaking at the event, brought attention to the issue of ensuring proper treatment to children and creation of awareness amongst the masses.
"With the program being implemented at government hospitals, people who cannot afford expensive care for genetic disorders be benefited," Vardhan said.
The Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders (UMMID) initiative and National Inherited Diseases Administration (NIDAN) centres are supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.
Talking about the impact of the initiative on the health sector, DBT Secretary Dr Renu Swarup, said: "UMMID initiative is meeting the hopes of a large number of persons with inherited diseases".
She said that with a large population, high birth rate and consanguineous marriage favoured in many communities, the prevalence of genetic disorders is high in the country.
"The UMMID initiative aims to establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in government hospitals. It also aims to produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics and undertake to screen pregnant women and newborn babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts," Dr Swarup said.
As a part of this initiative, in the first phase, five NIDAN Kendras have been established to provide comprehensive clinical care.
The department is also planning to expand the program and establish more Nidan Kendras in other parts of the country, train more clinicians in clinical genetics and cover more aspirational districts in the next phase under this UMMID initiative.
( With inputs from ANI )