Implement Measures to Support PwD NEET Candidates: Doctors Urge NMC
Activists Urge NMC to Implement Measures to Support PwD NEET Candidates
New Delhi: Writing to the National Medical Commission (NMC), a group of health professionals has urged the Commission to comply with the Supreme Court's directives and implement measures to support the PwD National Eligibility-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants.
The doctors under "Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change" pointed out that the Commission had not yet complied with the Apex Court's directions before the publication of the NEET admission brochure for the academic year 2025-2026.
Referring to the possibility that the National Testing Agency (NTA) might release the NEET UG brochure 2025-2026 soon, the doctors have requested NMC to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's directives by revising new guidelines for admission of students with disabilities by involving doctors disabilities for the year 2025-2026 and beyond.
They have also urged the NMC to issue guidelines to all DABs to prepare an SOP on functional competency assessment using the human rights model of disability, issue guidelines to all DABs to prepare an SOP on functional competency assessment using human rights model of disability, conduct training of DAB members of all NMC-mandated NEET DAB by doctors with disabilities before the counselling begin for MBBS batch 2025-2026, also issue guidelines on clinical accommodations for students with disabilities, to create database of Enabling Units in all medical colleges and their coordinator being a faculty member with disability and to take action on medical colleges not having these, and create a database of accessibility, assistive devices and reasonable accommodations offered by every medical college and link it to NEET portal and NEET UG and PG brochure for 2025-2026 and beyond.
Further, the doctors have also instructed all medical institutes to keep details of Enabling Units and the process of availing clinical accommodations in their MBBS information brochure and Equal Opportunity Policy mandated under RPDA 2016 and to link non-compliance of the Supreme Court order by medical colleges with their derecognition.
Commenting on the matter, the Organisational Head of the association, Dr Satendra Singh said, "Court orders are not mere suggestions. Despite clear directives from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, the NMC continues to deny justice to aspirants with disabilities. With the NTA brochure now released, this blatant defiance must be treated as contempt of the apex court."
Medical Dialogues has earlier reported that last year the Supreme Court in an order dated 25.10.2024 had stressed the importance of creating an inclusive atmosphere for persons with disabilities seeking to pursue medical education, noting it to be a "vital component of quality healthcare".
Highlighting that Disability Assessment Boards must comply with the rule of law principles by injecting transparency, fairness and consistency in their approach, the Apex Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India D.Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to issue fresh guidelines for admitting persons with disabilities into medical courses.
Back then, the Apex Court had also specified that the committee formulating the guidelines must include experts with disability or persons who have worked on disability justice.
Apart from this, the top court bench had issued the following directions:
√ The Disability Assessment Boards shall eschew from a benchmark model to test the functional competence of medical aspirants with disability. The second respondent shall issue appropriate guidelines in this regard
√ The Disability Assessment Boards shall include a doctor or health professional with disability as per the directions of the first respondent dated 24 March 2022
√ The conduct of the Disability Assessment Boards shall be fair, transparent and in compliance with principles of the rule of law. Attention must be paid to ensure that candidates appearing before the Board do not feel uncomfortable on account of physical or attitudinal barriers
√ Reasonable accommodation is a gateway right to avail all other fundamental, human and legal rights for persons with disabilities. Non-availability of reasonable accommodation amounts to discrimination and violates substantive equality of persons with disabilities
√ The inclusion of persons with disability in the medical profession would enhance the quality of healthcare and meet the preambular virtue of fraternity and the guarantees in Articles 21, 19, 14 and 15 of the Constitution
√ Applicants to the NEET examination must be informed about the compliance of accessibility norms and provisions of reasonable accommodation available at colleges. The respondents shall issue appropriate directions to create a database with relevant information on accessibility and reasonable accommodation; and
√ Enabling Units at medical colleges shall act as points of contact for persons with disability desirous of accessing clinical accommodations.
Dr. Singh also referred to the Delhi High Court order in the case of Neha Pudil v UOI, where the Court had directed NMC to revise its guidelines in 6 months for admission of disabled students in light of RPDA 2016 and new scientific and technological advances. Referring to this, Dr. Singh mentioned in the letter, "NMC did not revise it till now."
