Abstract Background: Accessibility in healthcare facilities is vital to ensure equitable health care for persons with disabilities (PWDs). Despite existing national guidelines, compliance in public hospitals remains uncertain. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the compliance of a tertiary care government teaching hospital with disability-friendly guidelines in its outpatient department (OPD) buildings. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 1 month in North India. Two hospital buildings – the New OPD and Old OPD. A standardized checklist covering 122 parameters across 17 facility areas (e.g., entrances, ramps, toilets, signage, and resting facilities) was used. Results: In the New OPD, compliance was observed in 44 out of 122 parameters (36%), whereas the Old OPD showed 39 compliant parameters (32%). The highest compliance was seen in ramps (90%) and main entrances (69% in New OPD, 77% in Old OPD). However, critical areas such as parking, toilets, signage, emergency exits, and tactile guiding blocks showed 0% compliance in both buildings. Most other areas scored below 50%, highlighting significant gaps in accessibility.
Jaiswal et al. (2025) studied this question.
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