The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Odisha, India, organized a testing camp for persons with disabilities as part of its disability-inclusive response to the coronavirus pandemic on August 17.
The testing camp was organized at Gopabandhu Leprosy Colony in Budhanagar slum area of the capital city.
More than 72 persons with disabilities turned up to undergo the Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. Among the people tested, there were older people and people with disabilities, the pragativadi reported.
“The camp’s objective is to strengthen the outreach of coronavirus testing and make healthcare services accessible for persons with disabilities. The current crisis demands that people with disabilities must be treated as vulnerable groups and special provisions included for them at every stage of the public health crisis,” said Shri Anshuman Rath, Zonal Deputy Commissioner (South East) of BMC.
Previously, BMC had provided ration to persons with disabilities who were in quarantine at Keshari Nagar as well as cooked food for people who are blind or have low vision at Odisha Association for the Blind during their isolation period.
