Danish Mahajan Discusses 35-Hospital Study with Sangath Team: Only 32.6% Accessible

Radio Udaan brings you a detailed conversation on one of the most important accessibility studies to come out of India this year — a participatory accessibility audit of government hospitals, carried out with persons with disabilities as trained field auditors rather than as passive beneficiaries. The audit covered 35 government hospitals across Madhya Pradesh and Goa, and recorded an overall accessibility score of just 32.6%. The study — "Participatory accessibility audits as a tool for disability-inclusive health systems: Findings from two Indian states" — was published in Dialogues in Health, and used a 180-point checklist covering the full patient journey: pathways, parking, reception, ramps, stairs, lifts, wards, toilets, emergency exits, wayfinding and digital access. Host: Danish Mahajan, Founder, Radio Udaan In conversation with: Shilpee Verma — Research Assistant on the iHEAR Access Matters project, currently pursuing her PhD at Banaras Hindu University, from Lucknow. Anand Kishore Malakar — Disability rights advocate and State President, Madhya Pradesh Viklang Manch, with over two decades of work on accessibility, education, transport and implementation of disability rights. Recipient of the NCPEDP Universal Design Award 2024. A collaborator on the project, he personally conducted several of the Madhya Pradesh audits and supported all of them. Harikeerthan Raghuram — Researcher on the iHEAR Access Matters project, trained in public health research, works at Sangath, Bhopal. Radio Udaan is India's first online community radio platform working on inclusion and empowerment, reaching listeners across 28 states and over 100 countries. #RadioUdaan #DanishMahajan #iHEARAccessMatters #AccessibilityAudit #HospitalAccessibility #DisabilityRightsIndia #AccessibleIndiaCampaign #SugamyaBharatAbhiyan #RPWDAct2016 #UniversalDesign #DisabilityInclusiveHealth #ParticipatoryResearch #SangathBhopal #MadhyaPradesh #Goa #BrailleSignage #TactilePaving #WheelchairAccessibility #PublicHealthIndia #disabilitypodcast