The health ministry
will test a candidate’s percentage of disability while using an assistive
device, such as a hearing aid, crutches and prosthetic limb, in deciding on
their admission to medical colleges.
In a move that could
bring relief to thousands of aspiring doctors who are differently abled, the
health ministry will test a candidate’s percentage of disability while using an
assistive device, such as a hearing aid, crutches and prosthetic limb, in
deciding on their admission to medical colleges.
Currently, candidates
with more than 80% disability, without use of assistive device, are not eligible
to study medicine. The health ministry listed 21 benchmark disabilities last
year for admission to medical colleges.
“If the disability
percentage is below 80 with the use of an assisted device, a candidate will be
eligible to apply to study medicine. It will be applicable to UG and PG
courses,” a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The Board
of Governors-Medical Council of India (BoG-MCI) approve the proposal last
month.
“Yes, we are in the
process of putting out a revised notification that will expand the eligibility
ambit for students with disability,” confirmed Dr VK Paul, chairperson of
BoG-MCI.
With 5% seats across
government colleges reserved for persons with disability mentioned under the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, around 8,000 UG and 10,000 PG
seats are reserved for specially abled candidates who pass NEET. From the
2019-20 session, the number of centres authorised to give disability
certificates has also been increased from four to 10.
“This will bring
clarity and increase the number of eligible candidates with disabilities,” says
Dr Satendra Singh, a disability rights activist and associate professor of
physiology, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi.
The minimum degree of
disability should be 40% to be eligible for availing of reservation to persons
with specified disabilities.
Enabling Rules
The 21 benchmark
disabilities under the new rule are: blindness, low-vision, leprosy cured
persons, hearing impairment (deaf and hard of hearing), locomotor disability,
dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental Illness, autism spectrum disorder,
cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific
learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability,
thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities (including
deaf-blindness), acid attack and Parkinson’s disease.
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