NEW DELHI: Citing a massive delay in making the public hospital infrastructure accessible for people with disabilities, the State Commissioner of the concerned department has issued an order asking all district magistrates and chiefs of hospitals to ensure that medical facilities are made PwD-friendly in the next three months.
In an order, State Commissioner for PwD Ranjan Mukherjee has issued the directions and demanded an action taken report on the subject in the next 90 days. The state commissioner observed that despite the health ministry notifying the Accessibility Standards for Healthcare in 2022, the hospitals are slow to follow it “in letter and spirit.”
The move came after Dr Satendra Singh, Director Professor at the University College of Medical Sciences, who also advocates for the rights of PwDs highlighted the matter to the state commissioner.
According to Singh’s report, the facilities in hospitals under the Delhi government are still out of bounds for people with disabilities. Common examples include Maulana Azad Medical College’s auditorium, reserved parking not close to the entrance, and an inaccessible library. Also, the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital’s Physiology department and academic block do not have a lift despite the medical college being the newest. The new hospital building at GTB and other hospitals that are under progress should follow the accessibility standard right from the beginning of construction with the involvement of administrators or persons with disabilities, his report suggested.
“There is a comprehensive guideline about how to make public infrastructure accessible to the people with disabilities. But there has been less than satisfactory action,” Singh said.
Health ministry norms
State Commissioner for PwD Ranjan Mukherjee has sought an action taken report in the matter in the next 90 days, saying that the hospitals are slow to follow the health ministry’s Accessibility Standards for Healthcare in 2022 guideline