Disabilities under new category may get certificates
We have framed the guidelines and, in a couple of days, all the hospitals will be intimated to issue certificates to the new category of disability. AN OFFICIAL OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT MINISTRY
NEWDELHI: Patients suffering from thalassemia, haemophilia and sickle cell disease among others may start getting disability certificate from designated government hospitals after being denied in the past for lack of guidelines.
The Union ministry of social justice and empowerment has framed guidelines for the assessment of the 14 new disabilities that were added to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 in April last year. The Act had replaced the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. Rules to implement the new law were framed in June but guidelines for the assessment and certification were not immediately framed.
“We have framed the guidelines and, in a couple of days, hospitals will be intimated to issue certificates to new categories,” a social justice and empowerment ministry official told HT.
Hospitals, designated to issue certificates, receive one or two patients who suffer from the newly added disabilities every day. “They want to apply for cer- tificates but we have to refuse them as there is no guideline from the ministry,” said Dr Poonam Kapur, additional medical superintendent, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi.
Lack of certificate means candidates can’t get reservation benefits. “I am a thalassemia patient and I want to apply for the NEET. I don’t know if I should select the disability option. In case I don’t come under the definition of disabled, I won’t know the fate of my application,” said a student.
TD Dhariyal, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Delhi, said the government must also identify the extent of disability to include a person for reservation benefits under the law.