Government launches ‘UMMID’ initiative to tackle inherited genetic diseases of new born babies

The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan on September 23, 2019 launched UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) initiative and inaugurated NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras, which is being supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.

About UMMID Initiative

• UMMID Initiative is designed on the concept of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’.
• In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns. With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India, the UMMID initiative aims:
  1. to establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more,
  2. to produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics, and
  3. to undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.

NIDAN Kendra

• As a part of UMMID initiative, in the first phase, five NIDAN Kendras have been established to provide comprehensive clinical care.
• Training Centres at Madras Medical Mission- Chennai; SGPGIMS- Lucknow; CDFD – Hyderabad; AIIMS- New Delhi; MAMC- New Delhi; NIIH- Mumbai and CMC Vellore have been supported to provide training in Biochemical Genetics, Cytogenetics, Molecular Genetics, and Clinical Genetics to the clinicians from government hospitals. Screening of 10,000 pregnant women and 5000 new born babies per year for inherited genetic diseases will be taken up at the following seven aspirational districts.
• The Government of India has launched the National Health Policy, 2017 aiming to shift focus from “sick-care” to “wellness”. UMMID initiative shall work towards achieving wellness by promoting prevention of genetic diseases.