Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to establish an Appellate Medical Body to address disputes related to disability certificates for medical admissions.
The directive came in response to petitions filed by two disabled medical students, Dr. Sushank and Dr. Chandanpreet Kamboj, who had challenged decisions by medical boards that declared them “unfit” for admission to postgraduate medical courses.
Case Background
Dr. Sushank and Dr. Chandanpreet Kamboj had applied for admission to the M.S. General Surgery program at Pt. BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, and the M.D. Radiodiagnosis program at Government Medical College, Patiala, respectively. Both candidates were denied admission based on adverse assessments of their disabilities by medical boards.
Dissatisfied with the assessments, the petitioners approached the High Court, which referred their cases to the Medical Superintendent at PGIMER, Chandigarh. A new Medical Board was constituted to review their fitness for the respective courses.
High Court Observations
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sudhir Singh, observed that the Medical Board at PGIMER had declared both petitioners fit to pursue their respective courses.
The court noted that there was no existing appellate mechanism to challenge or review decisions made by medical boards regarding disability assessments for medical admissions.
Chief Justice Sheel Nagu emphasized, “The National Medical Commission is, hereby, directed to ensure creation of an Appellate Medical Body, so that instances of such cases do not arise in future.”
Outcome and Directive
The High Court’s directive aims to prevent similar disputes in the future by establishing a dedicated appellate mechanism. This move will ensure that candidates with disabilities have a fair opportunity to contest medical board decisions and pursue their careers in medicine.
The National Medical Commission is now tasked with creating this appellate body to streamline the resolution of such disputes and uphold fairness in medical admissions.
