MiD DAY had reported last month how Nazrin Ansari, who was deemed ineligible for a postgraduate programme owing to her 86% disability, took on the establishment in a court battle and won
Nazrin Ansari’s aspirations were dealt a crippling blow in June, when the All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AIIPMR) declared that she was ineligible for a postgraduate degree course as she had an 86 per cent disability in her left leg, much higher than the 70 per cent limit set by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
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But, as MiD DAY had reported on July 3 (‘Disabled doctor fights medical babus and wins!’), the tenacious MBBS confronted the establishment in court and came out victorious. The 24-year-old is now pursuing her lifelong dream -- a PG programme as a junior resident doctor in the department of paediatrics at Fort’s Cama & Albless Hospital.
Dr Nazrin, whose first preference was radiology, opted for childcare due to the stiff competition in radiology. “From the beginning, I had decided that if I don’t get a seat in radiology, which is difficult to acquire, I will go for paediatrics.”
Though she bagged the 6th rank in the category of physically handicapped (PH) students in the state Common Entrance Test (CET), her impressive performance proved insufficient. However, Nazrin did not lose hope. “I joined the hospital on August 1, and since then my schedule has been incredibly hectic, as we have extremely long shifts in the wards. However, though I don’t get much free time, I am more than happy to work this hard after struggling so much to get a PG seat,” she told MiD DAY.
Nazrin, who was afflicted with polio at the tender age of two and was brought up in a small chawl, living with 15 family members, was no stranger to adversity and took the hurdles in her way as more challenges to conquer. After filing a petition in the high court on June 23 she got relief two days later when she was deemed eligible for a PG course in medicine.
“Staying in the city and working with a major maternity hospital is a great opportunity for me and I am excited at the prospect of working 18-hour shifts in the wards,” she declared. u00a0