New Delhi: As the NEET-PG counselling for postgraduate medical courses looms, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has yet to notify a finalised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for disability assessment, leaving many aspiring doctors with disabilities in uncertainty.

Earlier this year, the NMC released interim guidelines for MBBS admissions aimed at fostering inclusivity by focusing on functional abilities and reasonable accommodations rather than outright disqualification based on physical impairments. These interim norms require candidates to submit self-certified affidavits describing their functional competencies alongside mandatory Unique Disability ID (UDID) cards. Verification is conducted by designated medical boards across 16 centres nationwide.

However, rights advocates and medical community groups have expressed concern that the interim and older guidelines fall short of Supreme Court directives for inclusive education. The 2019 guidelines’ stringent requirements, such as the controversial “both hands intact” criterion, have faced legal challenges for being disproportionately restrictive and not accounting for reasonable accommodations or specialisations that do not demand full physical function.

Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change, India’s largest organisation for disabled health professionals, has formally petitioned the NMC to urgently release revised admission guidelines and expand medical board centres to at least one per state or union territory. These groups also demand transparency regarding the training of panel members and the appointment of doctors with disabilities on these boards.

The Supreme Court has mandated the establishment of Enabling Units and accessible infrastructure in medical institutions, alongside a grievance redressal system and publication of reasonable accommodation policies, all yet to be fully operationalised in many medical colleges.

For now, NEET-PG aspirants with disabilities are advised to closely monitor official NMC communications for upcoming SOP notifications ahead of counselling schedules.