Preventive health checks mandated for Delhi cops

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police commissioner Rakesh Asthana has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP), making the annual preventive health check-up of all police personnel above the age of 40 and upto the ranks of DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Police Service) officers and multi-tasking staff (MTS) mandatory and part of their annual performance assessment report.

The annual confidential report (ACR) as well as the annual performance assessment report (APAR) of the police staff above the age of 40 will be considered incomplete if “annual health report is not attached with it while submitting them before the competent authority.”

The police chief has also announced that like all the ‘Class-a’ officers, the other personnel will also be able to get their “comprehensive investigations and diagnostic tests” done at any Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) empanelled hospitals at ₹2,000 for male and ₹2,200 for female staff or the rates revised from time to time by the central government.

Senior police officers said the decision was taken keeping in mind the welfare of the police staff and the long duty hours that they have to put in because of which they suffer from various occupational health issues and lifestyle related diseases.

They said suboptimal health status has an adverse effect on the efficiency of the police personnel, apart from an adverse impact on policing. To maintain requisite fitness and alertness among the police personnel, it was important to implement an annual health check-up scheme for Delhi Police staff above the age of 40.

“While IPS officers were already availing this facility, now multi-tasking staff and police staff up to the ranks of DANIPS officers will also be covered under the same scheme. It would help in early detection of any health-related ailments for timely curative measures. The step would also help monitor the health status of personnel. It is a big welfare measure that will surely boost the morale of the police force,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Chinmoy Biswal.

In the standard operating procedure released on September 1, Asthana has mentioned that smooth implementation of the scheme and identifying and shortlisting the CGHS empanelled hospitals will be the responsibility of head of offices (HOOS) of each district and unit.

As the nodal officer, one assistant commissioner of police (ACP) in each unit has been tasked to prepare a list of personnel above the age of 40, who would be sent for medical examination on prescribed dates to the identified hospitals. The ACP will also have to keep an updated record of the scheme in a register for the perusal of senior officers.

“The HOOS may permit the officials to go for conducting their preventive health check-up on specified days and no leave (CL or EL) shall be deducted for their absence from office...in case one is not in a condition to get his or her preventive health check-up conducted on any day during the monthly slot allotted to him or her due to leave, illness or any emergent reason, the HOOS may consider postponing the date in the same or next month on a case-to-case basis after verifying the genuineness of the case,” said the SOP.

SENIOR COPS SAID THE DECISION WAS TAKEN KEEPING IN MIND THE LONG HOURS THEY PUT IN, BECAUSE OF WHICH THEY SUFFER FROM OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ISSUES