Delhi University facilitates financial support for faculty member's child with rare genetic disorder

The University of Delhi's Centre for Distance and Online Education has initiated steps to facilitate financial support for the treatment of a faculty member's child suffering from a rare genetic disorder, a statement said on Saturday. The center—earlier known by the name School of Open Learning (SOL)—said the child has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 2.

The initiative follows requests from the newly formed Centre for Distance and Online Teachers' Association (CDOETA), whose president Kancharkuntla Praveen Reddy, secretary Ravi Kumar and a team of faculty members approached SOL Director Payal Mago regarding the child's treatment. The university centre constituted a committee of experts, including senior doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), to examine the case and facilitate a decision on the release and transfer of funds for medical care, the statement said.

It noted that such diseases are currently not covered under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) panel, adding that the urgency of the case and the need for gene therapy were among the factors considered by the committee. According to the statement, around Rs 1 crore have been raised through crowdfunding over the past few months with support from colleagues and family members. This, however, accounted for only around 6.25 per cent of the expected treatment cost.

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The CDOETA took an active role in pursuing the matter and securing institutional attention for the case. Even before the association's formal formation, its members had approached Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) president V S Negi and treasurer Aakanksha Khurana, who subsequently appealed to teachers across the university to contribute towards the treatment. "This situation has brought the teachers who think alike together," CDOETA president Reddy said.

The association's secretary, Ravi Kumar, said teachers had unanimously agreed to support the cause and that the matter was taken up promptly by the director. The statement described the initiative as an example of collective action and institutional coordination to support a family facing substantial medical expenses. It said the funds collected for the child would be used exclusively for her treatment and welfare. The association has also appealed to people to contribute towards the treatment through online transfers at the payment ID einstein2@fbl.