With a month to go for Special Olympics Bharat’s Return To Play – Inclusion Revolution program, more than 38,000 people with and without intellectual disabilities have already registered to be a part of the pan-India health program. Launched under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative by the Government of India, the program will reach a record 75,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across 120 cities of India on World Health Day 2022 (7th April).
To date, around 32,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) have already signed up for the initiative that will help improve access to healthcare for people with ID. Apart from this, thousands of volunteers, medical professionals, and officials have also registered to help make this program a success.
Return To Play also aims to train 7500 medical professionals to provide high-quality treatment and training to athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The first session to train assistant clinical directors kicked off on 6th March in Kerala. Similar training sessions are scheduled to start this week in Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Delhi.
“We are delighted to see such a positive response from across the country,”, says Dr. DG Chaudhari, General Secretary of SO Bharat. “Despite a month to go. we have already seen a large number of registrations which increases with every passing day. This clearly shows the dire need for such a health program for persons with intellectual disabilities who are often denied proper access to healthcare, especially as we continue to deal with the pandemic. At Special Olympics Bharat we are committed to creating a safer, more equal, and more inclusive world for people with ID and we are leaving no stones unturned to ensure Right to Play serves its purpose.”
