BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Police is set to start annual medical tests for all its personnel in the state. The Centre had earlier made annual medical checkup mandatory for all Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the country. The killing of former minister Naba Kisore Das by dismissed ASI Gopal Krushna Das has brought the focus back on the mental and physical well-being of over 60,000 police personnel in the state.
In a recently held meeting in Police headquarters, senior officers deliberated on introducing annual medical checkup for personnel of all ranks. “The Centre had approved the revised rates of annual medical checkup for IPS officers in 2013. It is Rs 2,000 for men and Rs 2,200 for women IPS officers,” said a senior officer of Odisha Police Headquarters.
It is mandatory for IPS officers to undergo annual medical checkup and submit the reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Similarly, deliberations are on to make the test mandatory for all the police personnel in the state, he said.In the meeting, while some officers suggested that the medical checkup should be made mandatory for all the personnel, others opined that it can be done for those above 45 years of age or those in certain ranks.
A few officers even suggested to carry out the medical checkup of all the personnel in every three years. Sources said a proposal will be sent to the state government to either allow the personnel to undergo the medical checkup at district hospitals or to provide it a budget for the purpose.
A doctor was earlier appointed in every district police headquarters and battalions in the state. However, the government later withdrew the doctors. Currently, the police personnel are undergoing medical checkup only during their recruitment.“We are planning to start the annual medical checkup for all the police personnel in the state and accordingly a proposal will be sent to the government,” DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal told TNIE.