State Police Chief Jacob Punnoose has said that a medical insurance scheme will soon be introduced for police personnel in the State.
He was delivering the keynote address at the World Diabetes Day observance and a medical examination camp that were organised by the State Committee of the Kerala Police Association (KPA) here on Monday.
Mr. Punnoose said the proposal had been approved, in principle, by the State government. “Police personnel seldom get the time and opportunity to improve their health. If ample care is not given to this aspect, ill-health will result and their work efficiency will be affected. Hence the Police Welfare Board in the State proposed the scheme. When realised, it will be the first-of-its-kind in the country,” he said. The scheme would be funded by the government and would incorporate the family members of all those in the police department.
Discounts
He said that canteen services on par with those provided for military personnel would soon be launched for police personnel across the State. “The Central Police Canteen will commence operations in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23. Similar outlets will be launched in other districts of the State also. These canteens will provide a wide range of products at highly discounted rates. A system of cashless transactions is also being envisaged in the outlets,” he said.
Gyms planned
The welfare board was also planning to hold excursions involving families of personnel and to establish gymnasiums at police stations in a phased manner. All projects of the welfare board would benefit those who had retired from the service too.
Inaugurating the event, Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan underscored the importance cooperating with pharmaceutical companies to provide medicines for ailments, including diabetes, at reasonable prices. The prices of medicines were not on par with those of similar compositions that were available in the neighbouring States, he said.
Vigilance Director N. Shankar Reddy delivered the Diabetes Day message. KPA State president P.D. Unni, general secretary G.R. Ajith, district Superintendent of Police C. Rajagopal, District Medical Officer (Ayurveda) Rathi B. Unnithan, and ‘Mathrubhumi' deputy editor Madhu Vechoochira spoke on the occasion.
