Women cops educated with health upkeep and first aid practices by Fortis Faridabad

Sanjay Chaturvedi

Gynecological problems are often seen to be avoided by the women in our society many a times due to hesitation at the end of the patient herself as they are scared of discussing their problems with a doctor. With a large number of young girls and women joining the police force in the recent years, while a sense of equality has developed in the women, till now recognized as the weaker sex, the need to make them aware of health problems and awareness to keep them fit has also increased multifold. Working in police uniform make them loaded with additional pressure of sticking to their duties, apart from family liabilities they have to take care of. In order to make these women cops aware of the problems they may develop and to make them aware of the steps they should take for taking care of their health,  Fortis Escorts Hospital Faridabad organized a free Gynecological Health Talk and Basic Life Support (BLS) training for women police officials at Women Police Station, Sec-16, Faridabad. Over 50 women police personnel were trained by the medical staff of Fortis Escorts Faridabad.

The primary focus of this program was to educate and spread awareness on prevention of gynecological disorders in women police professionals. With increasing number of women joining the police force, the BLS training program was conducted with an aim to educate and arm the women police officials with life-saving skills and to prepare them for the situations where officers can provide essential first-aid to the victim during an emergency.

Dr. Indu Taneja, Senior Consultant-Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Fortis Escorts Hospital Faridabad delivered a health talk on causes, prevention and treatment of common gynecological issues especially amongst working women. Dr. Taneja talked about the challenges of cancer prevalent in women and how working women are prone to ignoring the symptoms until very late. She spoke about general health, infections women pick up which is part of their professional hazards and the routine of exercise and nutrition they should follow to be fit always.

Dr. Taneja said, “The kind of places the women police force has to work in are not always very hygienic. This puts them at a risk of acquiring various infections which may lead to serious repercussions. Sometimes, infections like STD and various other infections can hamper conception and even childbirth.”

Dr. Rakesh Singh, Head-ER Services, Fortis Escorts Hospital Faridabad imparted training on administering first aid and handling medical emergencies as a matter of first response. The session focused on concept of Basic Life Support, its importance, techniques and things to remember while providing the support.

“As per estimates, more than half the lives lost in road traffic accident, could have been saved if first aid and basic life support was immediately made available to the victims. The main aim of the training program was to provide life-saving skills to traffic police personnel and if adequately trained, they can intervene and help save thousands of lives. In spreading awareness through events like this we are connecting to our community better and building their trust and confidence in us further”, says Mr. Rajeev Bhandari, Facility Director, Fortis Escorts Hospital Faridabad.

The training was conducted in line with standards established by American Heart Association Guidelines and included demonstrations by experts. Post the training session, the hospital also issued a BLS training certificate to all the participants.

It is a matter of serious concern that India enjoys the dubious reputation of having the maximum number of road accidents annually in the world. According to a survey by the WHO, 60 % of the deaths in road accidents are of people in the age group of 15 – 44 years. If timely and appropriate intervention by the police force is implemented it can go miles in saving precious and young lives.