Collateral damage of COVID-19 affecting persons with disabilities: NCPEDP

Claiming that collateral damage of the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting persons with disabilities, a body working for the empowerment of disabled people has said, PM Narendra Modi's assurance to save the life of every Indian should become the "lived experience" of all persons with disabilities in the country.

Many people with thalassemia are facing difficulty in blood transfusion as limited blood is available in hospitals, while many private facilities are not functioning, the executive director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) Arman Ali said in a press release. For persons who do not have private vehicles, arranging transportation for basic health services has become a major task, Ali said.

Mentioning that the prime minister, who heads the National Disaster Managemnt Authority, has emphasised that saving the life of each and every Indian should be our top most priority, the NCPEDP chief said, it should be carried out in letter and spirit.

It is the need of the hour that this assurance becomes the lived experience of all persons with disabilities in India," Ali said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been declared as a disaster by the National Disaster Management Authority,. As persons with disabilities reside in all the COVID-19 affected states and not just the few that are taking proactive steps, Ali said, "People with disabilities are not a homogenous, distinct group - they are found in every strata of society and they need to be enabled during this pandemic.

For benefit of the persons with disabilities, the NCPEDP on March 29 had tweeted helpline numbers 73039 44839 and an email that persons with disabilities could call for complaints. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (GOI) had issued Disability Inclusive Guidelines on March 26 to secure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities during this crisis but even a week later, its benefits are yet to reach all those for whom they are intended, Ali said. One key reason is that though disability commissioners have been designated as nodal officers under the GOI guidelines, in many states they have either not been appointed, or are unresponsive, he said.