NEET: NMC, DGHS told to include doctors with Disabilities in special committee framing guidelines for PwD candidates
New Delhi: In a recent order, the Court of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities has directed the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to include doctors with disabilities in the expert committee, constituted to address the problems faced by NEET UG and PG applicants.
This direction was issued by the Court while disposing of a complaint by disability rights activist Dr. Satendra Singh. The complaint raised the issued relating to the double examination of the candidates who have successfully qualified the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) exam.
In an earlier order, the court had also recommended increasing the facilitation centres to ensure that divyang candidates do not have to face unnecessary problems in evaluation.
"Furthermore, till centres cannot be increased, government medical colleges can be authorized to conduct such evaluations," further read the order.
Filing the plea, Dr. Singh had submitted that government medical colleges and hospitals in all States and Union Territories across the country are issuing UDIDs. He had prayed to the Court to issue directions so that each States or UTs should designate one such assessment board where there are doctors with disabilities and such boards should be notified as disability screening centre.
In an order dated 10.01.2023., the Court had recommended the authorities to increase the number of facilitation centres and set up an expert committee.
"This Court recommends that facilitation centres should be increased from 16 to many more in number so that divyang candidates do not have to face un-necessary problems in evaluation. Furthermore, till centres cannot be increased, government medical colleges can be authorized to conduct such evaluations," the court had mentioned in the order.
Further the order had stated,
"This Court also recommends that as far as issues relating to problems faced by candidates during second evaluation, as the one raised by the Complainant during online hearing, the Respondent shall form an expert committee which shall comprise of medical practitioners, to examine the various problems which arise and which are faced by the candidates during second time evaluation. The recommendations of this committee shall be shared with this Court."
However, referring to the previous order, the court pointed out that due to inadvertent clerical error the phrase "such committee shall also include doctor who is Person with Disability" could not be included in the final recommendation order dated 10.01.2023.
With this, the court revised its earlier order and clarified in the recent order dated 05.04.2023 that such committee shall also include doctor (s) who is a Person with Disability.
"This Court also recommends that as far as issues relating to problems faced by candidates during second evaluation, as the one raised by the Complainant during online hearing, the Respondent shall form an expert committee which shall comprise of medical practitioners, such committee shall also include doctor(s) who is a Person with Disability, to examine the various problems which arise and which are faced by the candidates during second time evaluation. The recommendations of this committee shall be shared with this Court," stated the order issued by the Chief Commissioner Upma Srivastava.
Speaking to Medical Dialogues in this regard, Dr. Satendra Singh, who is a professor of physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), mentioned, "Previously Medical Council India (MCI) had prepared new guidelines for students with disabilities and they had also created 16 disability centres in India. Every NEET candidate with a disability, who has cleared the NEET examination, even if that candidate has been issued with a disability certificate or a permanent Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID), they are forced to go to these disability centres. Another issue is that these centres are not present in all the States. In several states there are multiple centres, whereas there are no centres at all in other states. So, the candidates need to go to another state physically, just to prove again that they are disabled. So, I questioned in my plea what was the point of asking the candidates to approach the disability centres again and again!"
"Another issue was that these centres do not include doctors with disabilities and therefore sometimes they simply assume these candidates to be 100% disabled. We have heard about several cases where the candidates had to approach the High Courts or Supreme Court to challenge these disability certificates and be allowed to pursue medical courses. So, my prayer was to involve doctors with disabilities in the medical boards because only such doctors can understand the problems faced by disabled candidates and the presence of such doctors with disabilities is important for reviewing the guidelines as well," he added.
To view the order, click on the link below:
https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/neet-disability-208936.pdf
