Disability rights’ activists slams new MCI syllabus

Even though the new syllabus focuses on increasing the number of classes and teaching students how to counsel patients and their family members about organ donation and the like, it continues to remain outdated, Disability Rights’ Activist Dr Satendra Singh said. “The future doctors are subjected to learn the old, repealed Mental Health Care Act of 1985 and there is no mention of the new MHC Act 2017,” he added.

Stating that the only good things about the programme are the one-month foundation course in August to help students from vernacular languages, the option of electives and introduction of ethics longitudinally, he said, “It mentions outdated terms like ‘differently-abled.”

While the activists welcome the changes in the Act as the Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act, 2015 mandates the centre and the state to include syllabus from all level of education to sensitise the public about the needs and rights of disabled persons, there still continues to exist some discrepancies. “Using the term differently abled to describe Persons with Disabilities is highly unfair and we condemn it,” said Namburajan, an activist for Persons with Disabilities.

Besides, there is no mention of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). “Such factors need to be taken into consideration while trying to make amendments to a syllabus. It is unfair to ignore certain aspects of one section of society,” added Namburajan.

It may be recalled that this is the first time after 21years that the MBBS syllabus will include a course on mental health. It will incorporate more classes which will focus on mental health as well as on communication skills. Besides, it will also train the students on ethics.