Disabled medicos face hurdles

Shiv Sunny, New Delhi, June 10, 2013, DECCAN HERALD NEWS SERVICE:

Infra facilities not available at medical colleges

“Is any medical institution in the country capable of inviting the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking to deliver a lecture,” asks Dr Satendra Singh, coordinator of enabling unit of UCMS.

This one question highlights the condition of medical institutions and hospitals when it comes to providing barrier-free access to the disabled.

Singh says physical barriers such as inaccessible libraries, lecture halls and hospital campus dissuade people with disabilities from taking admission in colleges despite reservations for them.

He had petitioned the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) to provide accessible environment to the disabled in medical institutions. The CCPD had to forward it twice to the Medical Council of India before it asked the colleges to submit a compliance report in this regard.

But Singh wants the MCI to make it mandatory for colleges to provide accessible institutions. “The action taken by them is mere eyewash,” says Singh. But it has done enough to encourage him to continue petitioning the authorities to make it mandatory.

Those fighting alongside Singh, or for this cause, say their suggestions are often shelved for long and when they are implemented, there is much lacking.

“We conducted accessibility audits for all Delhi University colleges in 2007-08. We had given our reports and suggestions with drawings and illustrations to make campuses disabled-friendly. But the managements neither take a look at the audits nor do they consider them,” says Anjlee Agarwal, executive director of NGO Samarthyam.

The NGO evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in buildings and outdoor environments.

“Just having a ramp, but no access to toilets or libraries, will still continue to dissuade people from taking admissions. Every service that others have access to must be made available for the disabled,” adds Anjlee.

Few little successes keep Singh petitioning still. His efforts have seen the installation of two disabled-friendly ATMs in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Differently-abled students at UCMS now get a leniency time of 15 minutes to reach.

Source: Deccan Herald, Delhi, 11 June 2013, page 4.

Doctor’s efforts bring disabled-friendly ATMs at GTB Hospital

Doctor’s efforts bring disabled-friendly ATMs at GTB Hospital

The Statesman
Chandan Prakash Singh, New Delhi, 24 April 2013

Satendra Singh, a doctor at a University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), is happy after winning a long fought battle. His efforts have resulted in installation of two automated teller machines (ATMs) inside Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital.

The machine, accessible for person with disabilities, is an outcome of a firm persuasion by Dr Singh, who himself is a person with locomotor disability.

Recalling the efforts he made to achieve this goal, Dr Singh said that despite directions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2009 and interference of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD), who wrote to the Department of Banking Operations and Development in the year 2011, to make ATMs disable-friendly, not much action was taken and nothing came in concrete form.

He further said that the RBI master circular advises all the banks to provide ramps to their ATMs so that wheelchair users and persons with disability can easily enter the booths. The arrangements should be made in a particular height so that there would be no possibility of impediment for wheelchair users.

New ramp constructed at Bank of Baroda ATM at GTB Hospital

However, when Dr Singh filed an Right to Information (RTI) application to the RBI on behalf of the Enabling Unit (for persons with disability) at UCMS, it came to light that the RBI has no information on such ATM’s.

"It is the responsibility of the RBI to implement its circular. But it does not have any information on ATMs and their accessibility status," said Dr Singh.

He said that since both the Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank ATMs, located inside GTB Hospital premises, were inaccessible without ramp he wrote several letters to the respective bank managers and even organized Canara Bank AGM’s meeting with Medical Superintendent of GTB but all in vain.

“Later, this year, I complained to CCPD and they sent notices to the General Managers of both banks after which Bank of Baroda immediately complied by constructing ramp with stainless steel railings but Canara Bank did not comply. At this, CCPD sent another notice to Canara Bank which led to the beginning of a construction of ramp at Canara Bank ATM too,” said Dr Singh.

He further said that rather than complaining about each and every ATMs in the Capital, Banks should show their accountability and should immediately construct a ramp so that ATMs should be accessible for persons with disabilities.

PS: The above news also featured on the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) website.

Impossible is nothing when it comes to the specially abled

Deccan Herald MetroLife, NewDelhi
Neha Das, Dec 4, 2012

According to UN statistics, over one billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population live with some form of disability or physical impairments. And it is not unknown that ‘the world’s largest minority’, often faces discrimination. 

With December 3 being the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ Metrolife spoke to a few who have made it big in life, past all hurdles.

Working against all odds, Major HPS Ahluwalia is one such example. A mountaineer who suffered a gun-shot wound in his neck during the Indo-Pak war in 1965, left him paralysed below the waist and confined to a wheelchair. But, that did not stop him from achieving his potential.

Apart from authoring several books Maj. Ahl­u­w­a­lia also founded the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in 1995 and became the Chairman of The Indian Mountai­ne­ering Foundation. Says Ahluwalia in a comment on his website, “People often ask me from where I get my strength. I tell them, from the mountains.

Today a painting of the Himal­a­yas greets every visitor to the centre and inspires everyone to reach higher, to seek the strength within themsel­v­es and to know that they can conquer any fear, surmo­unt any challenge! When your spirit is strong, nothing in the world can stop you.”

Another hero, Dr. Satendra Singh, a polio survivor, is now a Coordinator of Enabling Unit (for students with disabilities), Equal Opportunity Cell at College of Medical Sciences (DU) and GTB Hospital. The founder of ‘Infinite Ability’ – a group on disability, his RTI’s have exposed inaccessible status of India Post and lack of disability policy.

He is also the Chairperson of the Equality and Diversity Committee, Enabling Unit, UCMS constituted for students with disabilities. “India or Delhi is not at all disabled friendly. Even to get a disability certificate, a disabled pers­on has to make rounds of hospitals and offices. We need a sensitisation drive to make people understand that even we are ‘normal’ hu­m­an beings and need to be treated equally. We are not luggage, but part of the society.”


Fighting all odds is Sheela Sharma, an artist from Lucknow. She lost both her arms in a train accident, when she was a child. But she went on to complete her BA in Fine Arts. Now, she paints with the help of her left foot. Talking about India’s role for the development of disabled persons, She­e­la says, “The development are only for the rich and not for us. There are provisions but we never get any help.”

India lacks awareness and understanding of the basic needs of the physically impaired people. Even ATMs’, banks and post offices, which are regularly used avenues are not disabled-friendly.

Joginder Singh Saluja, a wheelchair-bound weightlifter a seven time winner of Mr. India Para Power Lifting inspires many. “I have proved my mettle and that is why the CRPF has chosen me as a health consultant. I am also the head councillor for disabled students in DU. Jis din mera peheli baar mazaak udaya gaya tha, maine usi din thaan liya ki kuch karne ka hai jo aam aadmi naa kar paaye.”