Kozhikode Government Medical college is not disabled-friendly, students say

The Kozhikode Government Medical College is proving to be a challenging experience for specially-abled students and staff. The college, which was once announced as disabled-friendly, no longer remains so, as multiple areas of it remain inaccessible to the specially abled.

Rohit (name changed), a native of Ernakulam, is physically challenged. He was admitted to the college a year ago after securing a considerably high score, but the campus isn't wheelchair-friendly. In the absence of a ramp, volunteers have to lift him up and down the staircases of the multi-storied college building, and the access to the college park is completely shut for him, as reported by The New Indian Express.

There are several others who are struggling on a day-to-day basis due to such conditions at the college campus. Disability rights activists and also the college union have been fighting for the need to make all the medical college hospitals in the state friendly to persons with disabilities. A plea has been submitted to the Kozhikode college principal, the state Health Minister and Kozhikode Collector in this regard.

"Few ramps have been constructed on the college campus, but the works have not been completed yet. Several areas in the campus need ramps so that the differently abled can access the campus equally just like others," said College Union Chairperson Jestin Benny. "Not building enough facilities to make medical colleges disabled-friendly is a clear-cut violation of the Medical Council of India's (MCI) guidelines," added the disability rights activists.

"Making necessary provisions for ensuring the smooth movement of disabled students and staff around the medical college campus is the need of the hour. There are even campuses in the state that are incredibly disabled-friendly and hence, the authorities must make sure that the medical college campuses are disabled-friendly," the activists said further, as per TNIE.