Most of our personnel take weekly off: DGP

Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police (DGP) and Head of Police Force Shankar Jiwal lists the steps taken by the department to help the personnel cope with stress and undergo treatment, if the need arises.

In the last four years, over 1,000 police personnel died in Tamil Nadu owing to various ailments. Deaths due to heart attack or cancer could have been prevented had there been early diagnosis. Your response...

An annual health check is available for the personnel and their spouses to assess the basic health parameters. Further diagnosis and treatment is done based on the reports. The cost of treatment is borne by the government to a large extent. Besides government hospitals, the personnel can go to private hospitals listed under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. However, if there is any gap in insurance entailing an additional expenditure, the Tamil Nadu Police Benevolent Fund is utilised. So far this year, ₹12 crore has been spent from the fund towards the medical expenditure.

Is health insurance serving the purpose effectively?

Health insurance, at times, is not sufficient as it offers only up to ₹5 lakh for a cycle for five years. However, the spillover is fairly well covered by the Police Benevolent Fund. Now, a unique mechanism has been launched: Under it, the health status of all personnel getting admitted to hospitals throughout the State are monitored daily through the well-being nodal officers, who also process their insurance claims. The rejection of claims or appeals against the rejection are followed up by the Welfare Wing at the police headquarters in Chennai.

Are the personnel with health issues given lighter duties that give them adequate rest?

Personnel who have debility because of their medical condition are given lighter duties. Also, posting and transfers are based on pressing medical conditions of their family members.

Stress and an unhealthy lifestyle seem to be the major cause of heart attacks. Are the personnel encouraged to take a day off to be with their families?

A day’s weekly off for the personnel up to the rank of head constable and a fortnightly off for sub-inspectors are in place. This is monitored by the respective unit officers, especially in the field, and the system has been received well. Most of the personnel do avail the weekly off to be with their families or attend to their personal work.

Is there a mechanism to identify those suffering from mental health issues? Stress could be the major reason for increasing suicides. Is there a counselling option or helpline for the personnel in distress?

Mental health is a major issue, apart from physical health, and traditionally there is a taboo attached to it. Many people don’t want to talk about mental illness. However, the Tamil Nadu Police have been a pioneer in starting a well-being programme, in association with a premier agency in the field of mental health, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, and M.S. Chellamuthu Trust, Madurai. All personnel, except for the recently recruited batches, have undergone this programme for identification of mental health issues and they are being monitored by unit officers through well-being officers. MAGILCHI, another unique initiative, has been undertaken in Chennai, where, over the last two years, more than 1,000 personnel have undergone psychological treatment by way of counselling and medication. The programme has shown good results in addressing the issues of stress arising out of job and family. It encompasses an outreach programme as well as a helpline. The personnel or their family members can call this number for consultation on phone, and the outreach programme facilitates counselling at the doorstep with the help of intern students who have enrolled for voluntary services.

Are reforms being suggested with regard to work culture, lifestyle, workload?

For the women police, an experimental programme, ANANDHAM, has been initiated. Under it, a work-life balance module for three days is run at the cost of the government. It covers the women police in Chennai, and the feedback has been positive. A programme, called Anbana Anugumurai, has been devised in association with Anna Administrative Staff College at a cost of ₹10 crore, and is going to be rolled out shortly for the entire force in batches, as it is felt that apart from the reactive mechanism for facilitating treatment, a preventive system by teaching work-life balance and stress management is a good way to help our own police personnel.