Muhammad Ayaz Ahmad, son of a schoolteacher, appeared in the Dera Ghazi Khan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education annual examination 2007 and secured 862 marks out of 1100. He faced no problem in crossing another hurdle as he got through the entrance test for admission to govt medical colleges and stood at No 12 out of 18 seats reserved for the disabled students.
The chairman admission board called Ayaz to appear before the medical board for the assessment of his disability at the King Edward Medical University through letter No 1707-77/EMU/2008 issued on Jan 26, 2008. When he reached the KEMU, he was asked to appear on March 1 only to be informed that he could not be admitted because of “severity of his disease”. His name was dropped from the final list displayed on April 23.
According to the prospectuses of the KEMU and government medical colleges in Punjab, eighteen seats are earmarked for the disabled students. “The admission of disabled students will be on merit and as per ordinance and subject to the production of following certificates from a medical board to be constituted by the admission board. (1) that he/she is a disabled student. (2) that he/she is physically/mentally fit to carry on studies and perform professional duties after qualifying MBBS examination”.
Ayaz’s father Abdul Majeed approached the medical board for not including his son in the final list and was informed that “Ayaz has severe post-polio paralysis of both legs and he cannot stand or walk without crutches. This is severe disability so he was not recommended for admission”.
Abdul Majeed submitted an application to the Punjab ombudsman which asked the medical board to submit comments and fixed Oct 30 as date for hearing.
Talking to Dawn, Ayaz said he was mentally fit and needed only pick-n-drop facility. Being physically disabled, he demanded that the state should provide him assistance instead of penalising him for his disability.
Ayaz’s father said the boy was struck by polio when he was six months old, but they did not lose hope and moved to Layyah city to provide their child all possible facilities for education. He said what practical measures the government had taken for the polio-struck people on the International Polio Day (today) remained to be seen.
He has appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to help his ailing child pursue medical education.