On 23rd September, the Ministry of Science & Technology launched the UMMID initiative. The acronym UMMID stands for Unique Methods of Management and Treatment of Inherited Disorders. Along with UMMID, the Department of Biotechnology also flagged off National Inherited Diseases Administration (NIDAN) Kendras.

The topic, ‘UMMID’ can be classified under IAS Exam — GS-II (Indian Polity & Governance) and also GS-III (Science & Technology.) Read on to know the important points about UMMID for UPSC preparation.

Aspirants can read about other government initiatives in the health sector from the links mentioned in the table below:

National Rural Health Mission National Urban Health Mission
National Health Insurance Mission Ayushman Bharat Programme
National AYUSH Mission Intensified Mission Indradhanush

Quick Facts about UMMID Scheme

Brief Facts about UMMID Scheme
Which Government Ministry Launched it? Ministry of Science & Technology launched it.

It is an initiative of Department of Biotechnology

When was the UMMID initiative launched? UMMID scheme was launched on 23rd September 2019
The main aim of UMMID scheme As the name of the scheme suggests, the main aim of the UMMID initiative is to provide genetic testing and counselling services to pregnant women to prevent inherited disorders in newborns.
What is the difference between UMID, UMEED scheme & UMMID scheme? UMID – It is referred to as smart health card systems provided to employees and pensioners of Indian Railways. The major objective of UMID is to provide smart cards to all medical beneficiaries:

  • Employees
  • Pensioners
  • Dependents of Employees and Pensioners
  • Other beneficiaries such as Quasi Rly. Employees, Porters/ Coolies etc.

UMEED Scheme – It was a Jammu & Kashmir state scheme launched in 2018 and was sponsored by the central government. Umeed programme under the Jammu Kashmir State Rural Livelihood Mission (JKSRLM) aimed to encourage women to be self dependent and self sufficient.

UMMED Scheme – It is the Central Government’s initiative for the pregnant women and newborns for preventing inherited disorders.

UMMID official website http://dbtindia.gov.in/
Get every day updates about events of national and international importance by visiting the Current Affairs page. Visit the page now!!

Refer to the following links below to strengthen your UPSC Exam preparation:

UMMID – Facts for UPSC

The table below mentions the important facts about the UMMID scheme, which can be useful for both UPSC Prelims and Mains examinations.

UMMID Initiative
The main aims of UMMID scheme are:

  1. Establishment of NIDAN Kendras to provide the following services:
    • Counselling
    • Prenatal testing and diagnosis,
    • Management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals
  2. Emphasising on the importance of genetic studies, the scheme aims to produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics
  3. To prevent/cure inherited genetic diseases, the scheme aims to screen test pregnant women and newborns in the hospitals of aspirational districts.
Five NIDAN Kendras to be established at the below-mentioned five hospitals to provide clinical care:

  • NRS Medical College-Kolkata
  • AIIMS- Jodhpur
  • Army Hospital Research & Referrals- Delhi
  • Lady Harding’s Medical College- New Delhi and
  • NIMS- Hyderabad
Government hospitals’ clinicians to be given training in the following:

  • Biochemical Genetics
  • Cytogenetics
  • Molecular Genetics, and
  • Clinical Genetics

To train the clinicians, the support of the following training centres have been taken:

  • Madras Medical Mission- Chennai
  • SGPGIMS- Lucknow
  • CDFD – Hyderabad
  • AIIMS- New Delhi
  • MAMCNew Delhi
  • NIIH- Mumbai and
  • CMC Vellore
Seven aspirational districts that have been chosen for the screen testing of 10,000 pregnant women and 5000 newborns are:

  • Mewat
  • Yadgir
  • Haridwar
  • Washim
  • Ranchi
  • Shrawasti and
  • Nandurbar

UMMID – What are inherited genetic disorders?

  • It is referred to as a health problem that is caused by abnormalities in the genomes of the newborn.
  • A genetic disorder is a disease caused in whole or in part by a change in the DNA sequence away from the normal sequence.
  • Genetic disorders can be caused by a mutation in one gene (monogenic disorder), by mutations in multiple genes (multifactorial inheritance disorder), by a combination of gene mutations or by damage to chromosomes.
  • Some of the examples of Genetic disorders are Sickle Cell Anemia, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Alzheimer’s Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, and Obesity.

To read about more Government Schemes, one can check the linked article.

UMMID Scheme & National Health Policy 2017

The government mentioned that the UMMID scheme plays an immense role in promoting the objectives underlined under the National Health Policy of 2017. IAS Exam aspirants should know about National Health Policy 2017 while covering the UMMID initiative. A few important takeaway points on National Health Policy 2017 are given below:

  1. The National Health Policy was introduced to underline four major changes w.r.t health priorities:
    1. The policy underlined the change in health priorities over the years.
    2. The NHP 2017 also mentioned the advent of the robust health care industry
    3. The policy also underlined the catastrophic expenditure due to health care cost, referring to it as one on the major contributors of poverty
    4. Growth in fiscal capacity should also drive changes in how the health sector should be improved.
  2. The main aim of National Health Policy 2017 is to strengthen governments to shape health systems of the nation holistically. Universal Health Coverage has been given importance through this policy.
  3. It focussed on preventive and promotive health care
  4. Improved public health care system and their services
  5. Importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been recognized through the National Health Policy 2017

UMMID Initiative -UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

Aspirants can read about the National Health Mission from the linked article.

UPSC Preparation:

GS 2 Structure, Strategy and Syllabus GS 3 Structure, Strategy and Syllabus
Governance Questions for UPSC Mains Science & Technology Questions for UPSC Mains GS 3
Daily News Analysis Current Affairs

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