After new diktat saying aspirants for President's Police Medal or Police Medal need fitness certificates, cops throng hospitals for the same
Police officers at GT Hospital on Wednesday. Pic/Suresh Kk
If you are in the government-run JJ or GT Hospitals and see many police officials there, don't panic. According to a new rule by the central government, every police official who wants to apply for the president's medal or police medal, must get a physical fitness certificate from a civic surgeon. Police officers are visiting these hospitals to seek this medical certificate.
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Police officials with meritorious service or distinguished work get the President's Police Medal or central government's Police Medal every Republic Day and Independence Day. Earlier the citation included personal details of the officer and an integrity certificate. But from Republic Day 2018, medical fitness has been added as a criterion.
Police queue up
For the Mumbai Commissionerate, JJ and GT Hospitals have been designated to issue these certificates. An ACP from North Mumbai said, "I have visited GT Hospital thrice. Every OPD has a different day so we have to start early because OPD ends at 1 pm. Also we have to approach doctors as a common man, so we have to check if we know a ward boy or official to speed up the procedure." Every official has to undergo various tests including psychological, hearing, limbs, physical capacity and eyes.
"I have spent three days from last week visiting different OPDs. I guess I will have to go couple of more times to complete the screening," said another police officer from central Mumbai.
On Wednesday morning, many cops were seen holding test papers, standing in queues at the hospitals. "This is first time I have seen so many policemen in hospital. I thought they were bringing an offender to hospital, but now I know that they are here to get a fitness certificate," said Praveen Shinde, who accompanied his mother to hospital.
Some give up
Many other officers don't want to go through the process, "My Confidential Report for past 10 years is exceptional, but I have been suffering from hypertension for past 6 months. If I am marked unfit, my service has no meaning, so I have given up the thought of getting a medal," said a police inspector in his 50s from south Mumbai.
After getting reports of police officials crowding at the two hospitals, top city cops have written to the central authority to increase the number of designated hospitals.
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