Date:27/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/27/stories/2007082760400800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Traffic police face health hazards

Staff Reporter

Irregular work schedules create havoc

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

Health initiatives: Lions Club of Vijayawada Vision conducted a health camp for traffice police in Vijayawada on Sunday. –

VIJAYAWADA: Traffic police are increasingly becoming victims of diabetes and allergies at a younger age. A team of doctors from the city, who examined 50 constables working in the traffic wing of the City Police at a health camp conducted by the Lions Club of Vijayawada Vision on Sunday, came out with a report that irregular work schedules were posing a challenge to the health of the police.

“We found that 10 of the 50 constables who attended the camp are suffering from diabetes, while five others have symptoms of diabetes. They all are in the age group of around 35 years,” said M.V.S.S. Pulla Rao, diabetologist from the Vijaya Diabetes Centre.

“Besides physical strain, mental stress and asymmetrical food habits are also contributing to the problem,” Dr. Rao observed.

He advised the constables to practise meditation to get rid of tensions and try to follow a regular food regime.G. Venkateswara Rao, a skin specialist, observed that three constables complained of contact allergic dermatitis, which was generally prevalent among those who wear tight outfits for longer hours, and three others complained of photosensitivity, which could be controlled by using sunscreen lotions.

ACP (Traffic) T. Prabhakara Babu inaugurated the camp, in which physician A. Koteswara Rao, president of the club G. Syam Prasad and others participated. The Rotary Club of Vijayawada conducted another health camp exclusively for children suffering from convulsions (fits) at Dr. Nori Mother and Child Hospitals at Gandhi Nagar. Indian Medical Association president C.S.R. Prasada Rao inaugurated the camp, in which a team of doctors headed by paediatrician Nori Suryanarayana examined 64 children. Club president G.V. Mohan Prasad and community services director C.V. Satish Kumar were present.