Docs with learning disabilities fret as RML stops assessment

New Delhi: Young doctors with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are facing undue stress and uncertainty with RML Hospital, one of the two authorised centres in Delhi, stopping assessments for their disability certificates.
As NEET PG counselling is set to commence shortly, doctors with dyslexia who have successfully passed the examination are now under immense pressure to re-establish proof of their disability.Dyslexia, a specific learning disorder, is a neurological condition that affects the brain's ability to process writing, making it more challenging to comprehend.
Despite the absence of a requirement for reassessment after the age of 18, as clearly stated in department of empowerment of persons with disabilities (ministry of social justice and empowerment) gazette notification dated March 12, 2024, students are still being forced to undergo the process, according to experts.
Dr Satendra Singh, organisational head of doctors with disabilities, questioned the repeated discrimination and harassment faced by meritorious candidates who are also doctors. He asked how many times a disabled person must prove themselves again and again.
A student who qualified for NEET PG told TOI that he has a UDID, a unique identity card for disabled persons, generated in 2018 when he was 18 years old. Despite being 24 now, he is required to undergo reassessment, which goes against the latest assessment guidelines issued this year.
In June, RML informed the director general of health services, ministry of health and family welfare, about its staffing limitations. It has only one clinical psychologist responsible for various tasks, including OPD and IPD counselling, disability board evaluation and certification, second medical evaluation, guiding interns, and teaching and academic activities for MPhil students.
Due to the workload, evaluation of disability certificates is delayed by 8-9 months through the board and 18 months through OPD. Consequently, the hospital has decided to stop accepting cases requiring psychological assessment, such as special learning disability certification cases and NEET counselling cases, until additional manpower is available.
Another student who qualified for NEET PG questioned why RML has been designated as a centre to issue special learning disability certificates if it is unable to fulfil that responsibility. RML officials explained that their sole clinical psychologist is overburdened, and since NEET PG cases are time-sensitive, they have been temporarily suspended.
In a letter addressed to secretary of department of empowerment of persons with disabilities and DGHS, Singh urged them to instruct NMC disability assessment centres not to screen NEET candidates with SLD who are above 18 years old and hold a valid UDID, deeming them eligible for both NEET UG and PG. He also requested that RML be directed to resume issuing disability certifications, which they have stopped due to a shortage of manpower.