PGI violating rights of disabled, group tells Nadda

12.12.2018
Chandigarh:
In what has been termed as violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPD) Act, 2016, by the PGI, “Doctors with Disabilities”, a social activist group of speciallyabled people, based in New Delhi, have written a letter to the union minister of health and family welfare, JP Nadda.

The group has alleged that non-dominant upper limb was included in reservation for admissions to postgraduate courses in medical colleges and institutions. But the PGI and JIPMER, Puducherry, were restricting these reservation benefits to candidates with disabilities directly violating Section 32 of the RPD Act.

“The union ministry of health and family welfare has recently amended guidelines of the MCI restricting candidates with certain disabilities.

“The Supreme Court as well as the high courts of various states granted relief to candidates with upper limb disability, lower limb disability more than 80%, hearing impairment, low vision, haematological disabilities, specific learning disabilities etc. to name a few,” said Dr Satendra Singh, founder of the social activist group.

Responding to the ‘violations’, Dr Rajesh Kumar, dean, academics, said: “The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research is a premier medical and research institution in Chandigarh is sensitive to such issues and if there are rules which include the upper limbs as well, we shall immediately correct our prospectus.”

He said: “I have asked the registrar to dig out rules which are applicable to the institutions of national importance as we are not under the Medical Council of India (MCI). Also, Section 21 of the RPD Act mandates appointment of a faculty with disability as grievance redressal officer.

“However, there is no such system either in the PGI, JIPMER or AIIMS, New Delhi. We shall abide by this Act and immediately work on it.”

A letter was written by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the union ministry of health and family welfare to the health secretaries of all states/ UT to follow the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPD) Act, 2016, in letter and spirit.

This allowed candidates from 21 disabilities (without any mention of the upper or lower limb) to avail 5% reservation in higher education.