The National Medical Commission has issued new disability guidelines for MBBS admissions for the 2025–26 academic session. However, the disability rights activists are saying the new guidelines do not meet the directives of the Supreme Court (SC). They called for the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to revise and correct the guidelines. The NMC has responded that interim guidelines will be revised from time to time, taking into account suggestions made by students with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD).
To enhance accessibility, the NMC is striving to increase the number of medical boards throughout India as per the directive set by the SC. NMC chairman Dr. Gangadhar said that there will be at least one medical board in every state and union territory. But, as stated by Dr. Vikrant Sirohi, a disability activist with Doctors with Disabilities, the NEET 2025 has just 16 centers in 11 states listed. This has resulted in several candidates with disabilities facing issues.
For instance, a NEET candidate from West Bengal with low vision reported their trouble in gaining access to medical boards since there were none available in their state. The candidate had to go all the way to Varanasi for the required tests since the nearest medical board was there. Additionally, the SC directives also included the requirement for adding equal opportunity cell in the college booklets and websites. These directives however, remain unimplemented as pointed out by Dr. Vikrant Sirohi.
Dr. Satendra Singh who is a disability rights activist mentioned the instance of a PwBD student, who uses a wheelchair, being denied a proper assessment by a medical board in Tamil Nadu and being asked insensitive questions. The student, who had visited for the required medical screening and evaluation to gain admission to college, was asked if she could save a distressed patient. In the end she was directed to undertake physiotherapy.
NEET 2025 Admission: Self Declaration Form
As per the new guidelines for disability (Appendix D), PwBD students need to declare their locomotor disabilities by submitting a list of activities corresponding to their functional capabilities. This list of activities includes whether they are capable of bearing weight and standing on both legs, walking on plain floors, climbing stairs without any help, and so on.
Dr. Sharad Philip, a clinical assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Guwahati with 70% permanent disability in both eyes, also showed his concern regarding the requirements of the form. He feels that the present form is expecting students to declare certain capabilities such as standing on the affected leg or being able to hold and drink a glass of water. He states that such statements are not relevant to medical education or training. The guidelines lack proper consideration of assistive technology and reasonable accommodation, and the responsibility to screen falls on the students themselves.
Dr. Gangadhar, the chairman of the NMC, explained that the assessment form is to certify the nature of the disability. Medical boards will evaluate the candidates with disabilities based on their functional capability, not on irrelevant technical evaluations.
