Visually-impaired dance troupe denied medical test Visually-impaired members of the dance troupe, Articulate Ability, which was deemed medically ineligible to travel, striking a pose.- Photo: Special Arrangement On Wednesday morning, five visually impaired dance artistes from Bangalore, all of whom have toured and performed around the world, were told that they were "medically unfit" for a medical test certifying them fit to travel abroad.
Authorities at the GAMCA (GCC-Approved Medical Centres' Association) office here, which assigns doctors for fitness certification, had turned them down, point blank. If you're visually-impaired, you cannot opt for a work visa or permit in any of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, they told the five visually-impaired artistes who had been invited to perform a classical dance recital in Muscat, in May. It was conveyed to them that the doctors (there are five GAMCA empanelled doctors in Bangalore) have refused to certify them, as sight or vision is a "mandatory requirement" to be certified fit. Anguished, Busegowda (34), a troupe member, says the process is "outright discriminatory". "Being visually-impaired does not make me medically unfit. We were refused even an appointment with the doctor. Having performed around the world, [I am] shocked to hear that there was such a rule." Articulate Ability, the troupe he is part of, had travelled to Muscat a few years ago, apparently before the GCC rules came into effect. Performers are classified as "skilled workers", for whom GAMCA certification is now mandatory. Initially, one of the five empanelled doctors had agreed to meet Guruprasad. However, when they turned up at his clinic in Richmond Road, he was refused audience. Mr. Guruprasad says it is ironic that the very purpose of their performance - to spread the message that the visually-impaired can indeed work, live and perform with dignity - is defeated by this "callous, prejudiced attitude". The test costs Rs.4,000, out of which Rs.1,000 is paid to the GAMCA office. The Muscat performance is a collaborative effort with a Kochi-based troupe, which is part of the Society for Rehabilitation of the Visually-challenged. Despite some initial hiccups, all three artistes were given medical certificates by doctors in Kochi (one doctor had reportedly turned them down on similar grounds). In these certificates, 'No vision' is marked against the 'Eye' column. Besides, another column that reads 'Ear', all other columns describe results of urine and stool tests, and the Elisa test (for HIV). Evidently, the problem here is of lack of clarity in laying out procedural guidelines, and of poor awareness. When contacted by The Hindu , an administrative official at the GAMCA centre here (one of 15 offices across India, that has 80 empanelled medical centres) said that according to the rules a visually-impaired person was deemed "medically unfit to travel on a work visa". At the head office in Mumbai, another official confirmed this, conceding that the "guidelines laid out by the GCC countries are strict". Both offices were not able to furnish details on the GAMCA norms. None of the empanelled doctors were available for comment. Going by the rules, in its current form, no visually-impaired person will be able to opt for a non-tourist visa in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. When contacted, T.D. Dhariyal, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Central Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, said: "Prima facie, it appears to be discriminatory. Disability is not a disease it is a condition, and denying someone the right to travel, perform or engage in any skilled activity because of a physical disability is a violation." If it is an issue with individual doctors, then they need to be sensitised, however, if there is a problem with the rules framed by GCC countries, then we should take it up either at our embassy level or with international health organisations, he said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .Discriminating against physical disabilities - not a disease - is a violation: police official .The very message of our show is that visually-impaired can work, perform with dignity: artiste http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3337723.ece Vikas Kapoor, MSN Id: dl_vi...@hotmail.com, Yahoo&Skype Id: dl_vikas, Mobile: (+91) 9891098137. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
