In a bid to ensure there is no medical ignorance about patients of development disabilities, Cipla Foundation in collaboration with Ummeed Child Development Centre on Wednesday launched a new medical therapy centre here.
This centre will provide training resources that will function along with clinical services for children with problems of autism, cerebral palsy, Down's Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities, among others.
"Through our training centre we will be able to train parents and build capacity in professionals and communities to achieve this goal.
We hope this is the beginning of a movement in India to invest in the development of every child, " said Vibha Krishnamurthy, Founder of Ummeed Child Development Centre.
As per the 2011 Census of India, there are 78, 629, 21 children with disability in the below 19 year age group, among which 595, 089 have intellectual disability.
In the past two decades, there has been remarkable improvement in neonatal care and the accessibility to related services, yet subsequent developmental support systems are inadequate.
The new training facility started by Ummeed is built on a 3, 000 sq ft premises and will work towards, sensitisation and awareness about developmental disabilities amongst all stakeholders.
Actor Abisekh Bachchan, a patient of dyslexia during childhood, in a voice message said: "As there is a certain amount of stigma in India around such disabilities, educating parents is essential.
They need to understand that it is not a disease, rather express understanding and compassion towards the child to cope with the problem.
Initiative taken by Ummeed is a ray of hope for the current generation. "