Corpn. begins screening staff for communicable diseases

Medical camps to be organised across the city all month

CHENNAI, 07/11/2018: Firing crackers on the occasion of Deepavali brings joy to many but the aftermath with tonnes and tonnes of garbage generated, a Greater Chennai Corporation conservancy worker cleaning a street littered with fire cracker waste at Ezhil Nagar Korukkupet in Chennai on November 07, 2018. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

The Chennai Corporation has started screening 28,932 employees for communicable diseases and mental illness.

Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash launched the medical camp on Driver Street, Ward no. 61, in Egmore on Monday.

Medical camps will be organised across the city for the civic employees from February 3 to 28. “The camps will be organised from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a measure to prevent communicable diseases in the city. The Corporation employees have been interacting with the residents in all the 200 wards. Screening the Corporation employees is crucial to prevention of communicable diseases in the city,” said an official.

The employees to be screened by the medical teams include conservancy workers, malaria control workers, road workers, electrical workers and Amma Canteen staff.

Former Chennai Corporation Council floor leader V. Sukumar Babu said most of the conservancy workers and malaria control workers were prone to communicable diseases as they had to clean polluted stormwater drains and garbage bins without proper equipment, leading to a number of ailments within a few years of joining duty.

Most of them are unable to work after 50 years of age. All the conservancy workers need medical assistance and counselling. “Malaria control workers who clean stormwater drains are affected because of illegal sewage connections. Communicable diseases are high among the workers. The Corporation should treat them in a good hospital. Many employees are very weak, unable to even move a tricycle,” said Mr. Babu.

Alcoholism rampant

Alcholism is another challenge among more than 50% of the conservancy and sanitary workers. According to estimates in the past few years, more than 20% of the conservancy workers have also have reported mental illness. The Corporation is studying the reasons. It has set up rehabilitation centres in the past few years to help employees affected by alcoholism. But the centres have not been maintained properly, sources said.