Mangaluru (TOI): Come December and top brass of Karnataka State Police will have fair idea of health of its rank and file. Thanks to a missive that additional director-general of police (law and order) Alok Mohan has sent to all police unit heads, it is mandatory for them to ensure that annual health check-up of all personnel in their unit right from a police constable up to additional superintendent of police/deputy commissioner of police is carried out before December 31.
While state police had earlier made health checkup mandatory for all its personnel above 40-years compulsory, there were no takers as the personnel had to bear the cost of the checkup. Now the state chief office (read office of DG&IGP) has not only made it mandatory for the police personnel to have their annual health check-up, but also sanctioned a sum of Rs 1,000 per personnel for them to undergo the check-up, and this money is given to the hospital that carries this out.
Most importantly, the police department will also maintain the results on check-up tests as a dossier along with their confidential report. Benevolent fund wing of police units that looks after welfare of policemen and maintains their service registers will be the custodians of the health dossiers. If the check-up throws up adverse reports, policemen concerned have the opportunity to seek medical recourse under Arogya Bhagya and departmental reimbursement schemes.
The chief office has selected hospitals that have prescribed facilities to offer a battery of eight tests recommended or other tests that unit chiefs may so decide. These include blood pressure, blood and urine sugar, kidney function, ultra sound, Echo Cardio Gram, cholesterol, liver function and ophthalmology tests. Incidentally, the Indian Police Service officers are covered under central health scheme that gives them the option to go for annual health checkups.
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We have decided to start the process with our District Armed Reserve staff first and will cover all 800 policemen in our unit by end of October. We have requested management of A J Institute of Medical Sciences to carry out a few more additional tests than the eight that the chief office has suggested and they have obliged. Maintaining health dossiers will give us a clear idea if policemen have been able to balance their professional and personal lives and look after their health. - Sharanappa S D, superintendent of police, DK district.
