NIMS Medical Genetics Division: A beacon of hope for uncommon illness sufferers

View of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad
| Picture Credit score: Nagara Gopal

The Division of Medical Genetics on the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has emerged as a beacon of hope for sufferers affected by uncommon genetic problems. Established in collaboration with the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), the division has been offering state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic companies for over a decade.

The division treats a spectrum of uncommon circumstances, together with Gaucher Illness, Homocystinuria, Progress Hormone Deficiency, Methylmalonic Acidemia, Wilson Illness, Phenylketonuria, and Pompe Illness, amongst others.

The NIMS Medical Genetics division was based in 2008 because the second such division in a authorities establishment in India. In recognition of its excellent contributions, it was designated as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in 2021 beneath the Nationwide Coverage for Uncommon Illnesses by the Ministry of Well being and Household Welfare. This designation underscores the division’s dedication to genetic analysis, counseling, and administration of uncommon ailments, mentioned Shagun Agarwal, extra professor, Division of Medical Genetics, NIMS Hyderabad.

The division gives a variety of scientific companies, together with day by day outpatient consultations, prenatal diagnostic companies, genetic fetal sonography, fetal post-mortem analysis, and enzyme alternative remedy. The statistics reveal a major enhance in affected person visits, with outpatient consultations rising from 2,453 in 2014 to over 12,000 in 2024. The variety of prenatal ultrasounds, fetal autopsies, and invasive procedures, reminiscent of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, has additionally seen a gentle rise over time.

NIMS director Bheerappa Nagari mentioned that the division is actively concerned in tutorial coaching, providing a three-year DrNB super-specialty residency program in Medical Genetics since 2015 and a two-year MSc Genetic Counseling course from 2019. It is usually recognised as a DBT-NIDAN Kendra beneath the Division of Biotechnology’s UMMID initiative and serves as a coaching centre for scientific genetics.

Since its designation as a CoE, the division has been instrumental in implementing NPRD initiatives, offering monetary help for the remedy of uncommon ailments. To date, 434 sufferers have been enrolled for remedy assist beneath NPRD, with 201 receiving approval and 121 presently present process remedy, added Dr Agarwal.