NEW DELHI: The office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) disposed of a complaint against Lady Hardinge Medical College without any hearing, alleged the complainant, Dr Satendra Singh, Professor of Physiology, University of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital.
The complaint stated the campus of the hospital and its associated facilities are inaccessible and disabled-unfriendly and the website of LHMC is also inaccessible for persons with visual impairment. The case was disposed of by the commissioner Upma Srivastava, after just advising LHMC and its associated hospitals to make the campus and websites accessible, barrier-free and disabled-friendly.
“No hearing by CCPD. Just received this in email. This is how the statutory body functions. None of the other points in the prayer were addressed. No directions issued to NMC and Delhi University, which were the other parties.
It seems the bureaucrat is only interested in disposing of cases and now they have reached a new low as they don’t even conduct the final hearing. How can we implement the Accessible India Campaign? LHMC agreed in writing that they do not have the MCI letter which mandates accessibility and was based on my earlier petition,” said Dr Singh.
The National Medical Commission had in 2016 directed deans and principals of all medical colleges and institutes to become disabled-friendly. The complainant had raised concerns that the LHMC website has 349 errors as per web accessibility evaluation tool and the buildings and the campus are not disabled-friendly. LHMC in its reply said that the hospital building’s foundation was laid in 1914 and the college started in 1916.
LHMC is undergoing a major infrastructural change under a comprehensive redevelopment project and new blocks are being constructed. Once the new buildings are operational, it would be one of the most disabled-friendly not only in NCR but pan-India.
However, the LHMC did not provide photographic evidence of accessible toilets, OPD counters and other public utilities in its newly constructed buildings. Also, it never involved any doctor with disabilities or organisation working for the disabled to solve inaccessibility problems and preserve historical character of the building, as per the written communication from CCPD.
Admission to disabled
In an RTI reply to Dr Singh in April, LHMC had stated that in last 10 years, 18 UG and 6 PG candidates with disabilities have been admitted to LHMC.