Puja Khedkar has a 7% physical disability, but she needs at least 40% to get benefits, says the YCM hospital dean.
The medical board of Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pimpri has certified that controversial trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar has a 7 percent locomotor disability. “This means she does not have any major physical disability. The disability should be at least 40 percent to avail the benefits,” Dr Rajendra Wabale, dean of YCM Hospital, told The Indian Express.
Khedkar is in controversy for allegedly submitting a fake disability certificate. Dr. Wabale said that on August 24, 2022, Pooja Manorama Dilip Khedkar was diagnosed with a locomotor disability
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“The disability certificate from YCM Hospital (shared with The Indian Express) states that he has a chronic injury to his ACL and instability in his left knee. As per the guidelines, he has a 7 percent permanent disability in his left lower limb. This diagnosis was made by Dr Milind Lokhande, a member of the medical board team.”
Since YCM Hospital had issued the disability certificate, the online application for District Hospital, Aundh was rejected.
Dr Naganath Yempalle, civil surgeon at Pune District Hospital, told The Indian Express that once a hospital issues a certificate, the application is automatically rejected.
In Pune, nine centers have been set up to assess and certify a person’s condition for a disability certificate. These include Sassoon General Hospital, District Hospital, YCM Hospital, Kamala Nehru Hospital and others.
Ahmednagar District Civil Surgeon told the press on Sunday that the hospital’s medical board had issued Khedkar a visual disability certificate in 2018 and a mental disability certificate in 2021. Further, in 2021 the board gave him a combined certificate for both medical disabilities.
In 2022, Khedkar requested a disability certificate from YCM and the district hospital.
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Areas of disability
Disability certificates are issued in five main categories: for problems related to movement, vision, hearing, mental health (including dyslexia), and blood disorders such as hemophilia and thalassemia. Each category covers several specific types of disabilities, with a total of 21 subgroups. After applying online, applicants choose a hospital where tests are conducted to determine their disability status. Based on these tests, disability certificates are issued.
“Since our records showed that Khedkar had already received a 7% locomotor disability certificate from YCM Hospital, the application at the District Hospital (Aundh), Pune was automatically rejected,” Dr Yempale said.
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