NIMS Data Shows Fivefold Rise in Rare Genetic Disease Cases Over a Decade
Medical genetics department expands services, designated as Centre of Excellence under National Policy for Rare Diseases.
Hyderabad: The Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) said its department of medical genetics had seen patient arrivals for treatment for rare genetic diseases increase fivefold in a decade, from 2,400 in 2014 to 12,000 in 2024.
In data shared the by institute, it elaborated on the various kinds of medical treatment procedures taken up by the department in the past ten years.
Since its inception in 2008, the department has emerged as a pioneer, catering to patients of all ages with genetic disorders. It provides daily OPD consultations, genetic diagnosis and counselling, prenatal diagnostic services, and fetal medicine. It also provides day care facilities for those undertaking enzyme replacement therapy.
It was established through an MoU with the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) and has been designated as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021 (NPRD, 2021). It is one of the twelve CoEs recognised by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for its clinical services, genetic research, and patient care in India.
Offering specialised programmes, the department runs a three-year DrNB Medical Genetics residency and a two-year MSc Genetic Counselling course. It also serves as a training center in clinical genetics.
Despite financial constraints in rare disease treatment, the NPRD provides funding support for over 60 treatable conditions. At present, the department is treating patients with at least 24 of these rare diseases.
