Championing disability inclusion in health systems and medical education: Dr Satendra Singh

Dr Satendra Singh at the University College of Medical Sciences and GTB hospital, Delhi, India (Photo Credit: WHO)

New Delhi, October 2025- Dr Satendra Singh, Director-Professor of Physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, Delhi, has been honoured as a WHO South-East Asia Region Public Health Champion for his pioneering work in advancing disability inclusion in health systems and medical education. Drawing from his lived experience with disability Dr Singh has transformed the way disability is understood, reframing disability from a medical issue to a human rights issue, and influencing policies, curricula, and institutional practices across India and globally.

“Human beings are not deficits. They are possibilities.” With this simple yet powerful truth, Dr Satendra Singh challenged long held medical models of disability and championed reforms that place dignity, equity, and human rights at the centre of healthcare.

Dr Satendra Singh, contracted poliomyelitis when he was nine months old. Growing up, he experienced both care and discrimination, shaping his determination to bring about change. “My medical curriculum never taught me about the society or human rights aspect of having a disability. We were taught the medical model of disability…But human beings are not deficits,” he recalled. This realization transformed him into what he calls an “accidental activist.”

Over the years, he spearheaded pioneering reforms that brought disability rights into medical education. Today, disability competencies are mandatory in nearly 800 medical colleges across India, equipping future generations of doctors, nurses, and health professionals with the skills, knowledge, and empathy to serve persons with disabilities. “That was a wakeup call for me… making institutions accessible and later bringing disability rights into medical curriculum.”

Dr Satendra Singh addressing medical students at the University College of Medical Sciences and GTB hospital, Delhi, India (Photo Credit: WHO)

His advocacy influenced the Supreme Court, India’s apex court’s landmark rulings that opened medical posts for doctors with disabilities, ensuring representation and equity in health workforce. “The more we have a workforce which is diverse, which are having nurses with disabilities, healthcare workers with disabilities, the more we would see that barriers are dismantling. And that is why I think this is a significant shift.”

Alongside his work in India, Dr Singh contributes to WHO’s global technical work on disability competencies and wheelchair provision, influencing international guidelines. He sees India and Asia as leaders in driving change. “We are in the right place to lead this movement from Asia, from India, because we can be the role model for many things like accessibility and assistive technology,” he said. 

For him, inclusion is not abstract but deeply personal. “I still remember in medical school, during a hockey game, they needed a goalkeeper and asked me. I said, why not? That moment of inclusion mattered, because for a long time I was only watching from the sidelines.”

Looking ahead, he underscores that the journey requires collective effort. “It is a long road ahead. And a single person cannot achieve that. It’s a collective initiative.”

On being awarded a Public Health Champion by WHO South-East Asia, Dr Singh said, “This award is not to a single individual. It is for every medical student with disability, every patient with disability, every ally, or every healthcare person with disability…My entire journey is a testament to the fact that if you have a strong will, you can move mountains…. I know you will come forward, join the movement, and make this world a better, happier, healthier, and inclusive place.”

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