New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- Dr Vinod K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, on Wednesday, stated that rare diseases are estimated to collectively affect close to 90 million Indians, making them both a health and societal challenge. He emphasised that with only a fraction of the 7,000 rare diseases having approved therapies, indigenous manufacturing, stronger registries, and multi-ministerial coordination must be prioritised.

Addressing the National conference on 'Rare Diseases', organised by FICCI, jointly with NITI Aayog and the Indian Medical Parliamentarians' Forum (IMPF), Dr Paul underlined that collective resolve must ensure faster diagnosis, equitable treatment, and an improved quality of life.

Reference was made to the efforts undertaken...