Anbumani plans Working Place Policies in IT/BT sector

Bangalore, Dec 16 (UNI) Expressing concern over the rising incidents of stress-related problems among employees of Information Technology companies, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today announced that he proposed to bring out Working Place Policies in the IT and BT sector to save youngsters from succumbing to work pressure.

Addressing a gathering at the 11th convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) here, he said he had raised the issue with Union IT and Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Strongly advocating a ban on junk foods in educational institutions across the country, holding them responsible for increasing cardio-vascular and neuro related diseases, the Minister said that due to consumption of modern junk foods, diabetes cases among children were rising. To prevent consumption of junk foods, it was necessary to create an awareness programme in the entire country, besides bringing in a legislation to check entry of such food items into educational institutions.

Dr Ramadoss said the Centre proposed to introduce Neuro Sciences and Mental Health in all the 600 district hospitals in the country.

Over one lakh people succumb to road accidents in the country annually and it could be reduced drastically if more trauma care centres were set up. The Centre had planned to have a modern trauma care centre in every 100-km stretch in the national highways and similar steps would be taken on state highways also.

He said seven to eight per cent of the population were suffering from mental disorders, 80 per cent of them in urban areas. But, sufficient treatment centres were lacking in the country. The World Health Organisation had said that in the next few years, the focus in the country should be shifted from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, mental health disorders, cardio-related diseases and cancer.

The Minister said the World Bank-funded Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme proved more effective in taking measures to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases and it would be strengthened by taking it to the primary health centre level.

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