KOZHIKODE: Once a physician, Kozhikode rural police chief Dr A Srinivas was quick to notice the
mental stress being faced by policemen during Covid-19 crisis. The district police chief decided to use free time of police personnel who are kept as reserve at their homes and has come up with a set of guidelines for healthy living for these staffers, which is now appreciated by DGP Loknath Behera. He has requested all DCPs in the state to follow the same.
The directions include how to utilise time and the dos and don'ts. Some of the guidelines are as follows-should wake up early, do one hour exercise or yoga, spend time with children, assist your spouse, make video calls to your parents who are staying away, sleep for eight hours, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries at home without inviting others, attend online classes with high officials, develop a hobby, promote ‘Live with Corona’ campaign, call old friends and complete pending official work - all designed to promote a healthy living.
"In the wake of Covid-19, half of the personnel have to be kept as reserve at home considering the possibility of infection. However, all of them are concerned about their family members and their health. Some of them are staying away from their families and they hardly get time to go to their native
places. Some are asking for transfers. So, we noticed the mental stress being faced by the police personnel who are working in the frontline to tackle Covid-19. Meanwhile, personnel who are kept aside can use their free time fruitfully and we formulated a set of directions for them. The reserve time is not to be wasted," said Dr Srinivas.
The guidelines were enforced in Kozhikode rural since last month. However seeing the positive response from the reserve staff, the DGP now wants to practice it in all districts.
Though he misses his old profession as physician, a Mysore Medical College 1995-2000 pass out, Srinivas says it's because of his medical profession, he could think of these issues and find their solutions. "I miss my profession, of course. It's five years of my hard work. But even in my police career my medical profession and knowledge have always helped me, especially in analysing postmortem reports or inquests. And now, it is helping me to think about the wellness of my fellow workers, who are fighting hard in the battle against the pandemic," he said.