NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, today officially dedicated the UMMID (Unique Methods of Management of Inherited Disorders) programme to the nation at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi.
Spearheaded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the national initiative establishes a coordinated framework for the early screening, diagnosis, and management of rare and inherited genetic disorders, making advanced genomic healthcare affordable and accessible.
On the occasion, the Minister also released the UMMID Compendium and launched the digital UMMID Dashboard to streamline nationwide program monitoring, genetic counseling, and diagnostic outreach.
Key Achievements & Structural Impact
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Massive Grassroots Reach: The UMMID initiative has already provided advanced genetic screening and diagnostic services to nearly three lakh individuals, successfully expanding its outreach to Aspirational Districts and traditionally underserved regions.
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Expanding Infrastructure: Under the public health model, the program has established nearly 30 NIDAN Kendras (National Inherited Diseases Administration Kendras) across India, effectively decentralizing advanced genomic diagnostics away from just metropolitan hubs.
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Clinician Capacity Building: Beyond patient care, the initiative integrates specialized training for clinicians and robust prenatal and newborn screening protocols to counter India’s complex genetic diversity.
The Vision for Indian Healthcare
Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized that the future of global medicine is transitioning rapidly toward individualized, gene-based treatment. He noted that the foundational architecture built by UMMID will pave the way for wider precision medicine applications in India, where protocols for widespread conditions like diabetes, cardiac ailments, and cancers will eventually be tailored to a patient’s specific genetic profile.
“UMMID demonstrates how science, compassion, and public policy can come together to reduce suffering through timely intervention and preventive healthcare… India is steadily entering an era where healthcare, diagnosis, and treatment will increasingly become genome-based and precision-driven.” — Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister
