Mathura woman forced to carry differently-abled husband to get him a disability certificate

In a heart-wrenching incident which throws light on the country’s poor infrastructure for the specially challenged, a woman was seen carrying her differently-abled husband on her back to obtain a disability certificate for him from the chief medical officer’s office in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura. [caption id=“attachment_1378997” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] According to a report in The Times of India, the woman named Vimala was forced to carry Badan Singh, a former truck driver who had to get his leg amputated a few months ago due a nerve illness. But because of the lack of a tricycle, she was left with no option but to carry him to the office.

“What am I supposed to do? This is our compulsion. We went to many different offices but still have not got the certificate,” she said. “I did not go to work because we had to come here today. I can’t come another day. We have no access to a wheel-chair or a tricycle.” Vimala told the media. Talking about the incident, Uttar Pradesh minister Bhupendra Chaudhary told ANI, “It is a sad incident to happen in a civilised world. We will inspect the case and help accordingly.” As per ANI, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on Wednesday issued a disability certificate Vimala’s husband. The past few months have seen Vimala dedicatedly carrying her husband to a government health centre every day to see if she can procure a wheelchair or a tricycle. A free wheelchair from government hospital requires a disability certificate and Vimala had been trying to get one for her husband.  After her husband became an amputee, the couple’s medical expenses mounted and the entire financial burden fell on the shoulders of Vimala. “We are in deep trouble; our financial condition is very bad. We can’t afford a cycle-rickshaw every day,” she said, describing her struggle. However, what finally paid off for Vimala was the photograph of her carrying her husband which was widely shared online.