NEW DELHI: Candidates cannot be denied admission to MBBS courses under the PwBD quota solely because they hold a temporary disability certificate or Unique Disability Identity (UDID) card, National Medical Commission (NMC) said. However, it made it clear that their disability status will continue to be verified by medical assessment boards (MABs) before they are declared eligible for counselling.In an addendum to “Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026”, NMC Wednesday said the change has been made to ensure that the guidelines are interpreted in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, 2024 Rules and a 2025 office memorandum issued by the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities.Under the revised norms, candidates whose disabilities are categorised as progressive, non-progressive or not likely to improve will not be denied admission merely because their UDID card or disability certificate is temporary. Their disability status, however, will continue to be verified by designated MABs before an eligibility certificate is issued. Candidates holding temporary UDID cards whose disability has been recorded as “likely to improve” will undergo reassessment before their eligibility is decided.
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MABs will also assess each candidate’s functional competency.“This year’s revised guidelines unnecessarily created a new hurdle by introducing a distinction between temporary and permanent disabilities. I received multiple representations from students who were being harassed at assessment centres in Agartala, Mumbai and Delhi. That prompted us to submit a representation to NMC and raise this issue in the ongoing SC hearing as well,” disability rights activist Prof Satendra Singh said.NMC said the addendum has been issued to ensure uniform implementation of admission guidelines and should be read as an integral part of the July 27 notification.
