Panel rejects inclusion of 9 medical conditions in RPwD Act disability list

 

 

A HIGH-POWERED inter-departmental committee has turned down proposals to include nine new medical conditions, including asthma, epilepsy and single-sided deafness, in the list of specified disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act. The nine conditions are -- palmoplantar keratoderma, single-sided deafness, epilepsy, Factor-XIII deficiency, ichthyosis, asthma, laryngectomy, vital organ failure and ostomy. The meeting held on August 20 was led by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and chaired by DEPwD Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal.

 

It reviewed representations received from stakeholders but concluded that none of the conditions warranted fresh inclusion, according to the minutes of the meeting. On palmoplantar keratoderma, the members of the panel noted that most patients suffer from only minor physical limitations and severe cases with functional impairment could already be addressed under the existing category of locomotor disability. In the case of single-sided deafness, the committee pointed out that the disability percentage does not cross 16.66 even when hearing loss is profound in one ear, since the formula is based on binaural hearing. “While such patients lose directional hearing, their overall hearing capacity is not significantly compromised to qualify as a benchmark disability,” the minutes said.

 

Regarding epilepsy, the panel said although it is not separately listed in the RPwD Act, Chronic Drug Refractory Epilepsy has already been recognised under “chronic neurological conditions” in the disability-assessment guidelines of March 2024 and no additional recognition is, therefore, necessary. On Factor-XIII deficiency, a rare blood disorder, experts observed that it rarely causes major physical limitations. In the few cases where impairments exist, they can be accommodated within locomotor disability or other specific categories.