AIIMS Bhubaneswar violates RPWD Act provisions in hiring for faculty posts

The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar has been found violating the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 provision granting 4% reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities. A 13 November dated advertisement put out by AIIMS Bhubaneswar inviting applications for faculty positions has ignored a key provision of the Act regarding the 4% reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities.

Yet again a leading public medical institute found guilty of violating the reservation policy of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016. This time it’s the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar.

A 13 November dated advertisement put out by AIIMS Bhubaneswar inviting applications for faculty positions has ignored a key provision of the Act regarding the 4% reservation to persons with benchmark disabilities.

Instead, the advert restricts this to people in the Orthopedically Physically Handicapped- One Leg (OPH-OL category only.

Doctors with Disabilities protest

In a letter to Professor Gitanjali Batman bane, Director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Doctors with Disabilities, a pan India body, has expressed its anguish on behalf of all health professionals with disabilities.

The letter points to AIIMS Delhi’s 2018 MBBS admission brochure where all 21 specified disabilities are included to pursue the programme. This applies to AIIMS Bhubaneswar as well. Yet the recent advertisement excludes 20 categories. This is also the norm with NEET undergraduate and postgraduate admissions.

The eligibility criterion for admission to MBBS for a candidate with a disability does not discriminate between one leg, both leg, one arm, etc. This is clearly given in Graduate Medical Education Regulations. Similar is the criterion for the selection of disabled candidates for MD/MS as per the Medical Council of India regulations – Dr Satendra Singh, Co-founder, Doctors with Disabilities

Even a directive from the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MSJE) makes this clear.

Repeated violation

The opening of doors to specialist doctors with disabilities in the central health services cadre has come after a long struggle et time and again leading public medical colleges and institutes choose to disregard this.

Earlier AIIMS Gorakhpur and AIIMS Raipur issued advertisements for the recruitment of faculty posts for ‘Persons with Disabilities – OL (One leg only).’. In both cases, an intervention by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare led to a change in stance. Now its AIIMS Bhubaneswar violating these norms.

Doctors with Disabilities has demanded that AIIMS Bhubaneswar immediately issue a corrigendum allowing eligible candidates with different categories of disabilities to apply for these posts. “Accordingly, the last date of applying may be extended by 15 days and the corrigendum to be highlighted in all leading dailies”, demands the letter.

It has also asked for an Equal Opportunity Policy and appointment of a Grievance Redressal Officer as mandated by the Act.

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