Long-winding wait for disability certificates

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 6

A delegation of disability activists from Jalandhar, led by Amarjit Singh Anand, expert member, State Advisory Board (SAB), Disabilities, today met Cabinet minister for Medical Education and Research, Raj Kumar Verka in Jalandhar with a demand to speed-up the process of completion of the Research & Development Centre for Autism and Neuro Development Disorders at Sector 79 in Mohali and inaugurate it as soon as possible.

Parents who have special children face a lot of inconvenience as they have to take their special child to Amritsar. We also face harassment as a specialised assessment of IQ is not available at the district level. The Mohali centre building is almost complete, once it is operational, all districts having no psychiatric can refer assessment cases to this umbrella institute. Amarjit Singh Anand, activist

Members said the parents of persons with intellectuals disabilities have to follow a long-winding process for procuring certificates for intellectual disabilities as well as psychiatric help - which will be greatly eased when the centre opens. Members said the ministers assured them to do the needful within two months. They said District Early Intervention centres, which issue disability certificates, are present only in five districts which pose a grave problem.

A letter submitted to the minister by Anand, stated, “The foundation of the centre was laid in 2016 with deposit of Rs 20 crores. The project was scheduled to be completed in one year’s time. The project is almost complete and is running late and is into the 5th year now. The project is the pride of Punjab, being the first state in the country to have autism and neuro-developmental disorder R&D. The alarming situation of autism and neurodevelopment disorders is revealed by the study done by AIIMS doctors. 12 per cent or one in eight children are suffering from autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.”

The letter added, “Inspite of repeated reminders to the Punjab Government by parents seeking early detection and intervention through Umbrella Institution and Operational District Early Intervention Centres ((DEICs), we feel there has been no redressal of our grievances. As per provisions of RPwD Act, 2016, the state has to provide disability certificate to persons with intellectual disability at the district level but unfortunately, only five districts have DEIC and doctors’ team of psychiatrists refers cases to Amritsar or PGI. Hence, parents of PwIDs face harassment at their district head quarters and even Amritsar. Further at Amritsar, the disability evaluation is done only on fixed days and very few (3-4 cases get their evaluation or disability certificates) and rest of the parents coming from all over Punjab have to return without any assessment certificate. The DEIC centres and doctors where there is no DEIC, each time refer cases for assessment or IQ testing to Amritsar, PGI or Sec 32, Chandigarh.”

Speaking to The Tribune, Amarjit Singh Anand who himself is a father of a special child, said, “Parents who have special children face a lot of inconvenience as they have to take their special child to Amritsar and also face harassment for a specialised assessment of IQ not available at the district level. The Mohali centre is almost complete, once it is operational, all districts having no psychiatric can refer assessment cases to this institute. Many children, especially in rural areas, aren’t getting certificates issued in time, which obstructs their grants, pensions, Aadhaar issuance etc. The minister has assured us that the project will be operational in 2 months.”

Getting document tough task

Members of the delegation said parents of the persons with intellectual disabilities have to run from pillar to post to procure certificates for intellectual disabilities as well as psychiatric help, which will be greatly eased when the centre opens. Members said the ministers assured them to do the needful within two months. They said district early intervention centres, which issue disability certificates, are present only in five districts, which pose a grave problem.

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