We Can No Longer Afford To Be Unaware Of Genetic Diseases: Chief Justice

Mentioning the country's first home-grown gene therapy for cancer which was launched by the President Droupadi Murmu in April, the CJI said, the CAR T cell therapy has often been inaccessible globally due to its prohibitive costs.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday emphasised on the need to create awareness about rare diseases among the society, on being empathetic and supportive to such parents and their families regardless of cultural, religious or traditional barriers.

He said we can no longer afford to be unaware of genetic diseases.

Citing the National Policy of Rare Diseases launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in March 2021, he said that further research is necessary to define the definition of rare diseases and stressed on the need to ensure equitable access to advanced medical therapy like gene therapy in a diverse nation like India.