Govt to frame health policy for BPO staff

[Guest guest]

Instead of policy - Govt should make BPO staff aware of nature's principles - by teaching Naturopathy - Lokesh

 

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Govt_to_frame_health_policy_for_BPO_staff/articleshow/2410328.cms

 

NEW DELHI: The phone never stops ringing and the callers are often rude and abusive. Work timings are erratic and social life is non-existent. And yet, the basic rule at work is clear and simple — you are to provide service with a smile. A job at a call centre can be stressful. And, it is starting to show. Teenagers straight out of school and college, looking to make a fast buck, are collapsing in front of their computers. Executives in their early 30s are suffering heart attacks and a large number of them have frequent chest pain, high blood sugar and high cholesterol levels. Alarmed by the rise in such figures, the ministries of health and information technology have decided to crack the whip on India's booming BPO sector. A dedicated IT workplace health policy to tackle the menace is being jointly formulated by Union health minister A Ramadoss and IT minister A Raja. A meeting between the two ministers is scheduled next week, while a national meet with industry partners is being planned in October-end. Speaking to TOI, Ramadoss said it was shocking to see 22-year-olds dropping dead on their desks, suffering heart attacks. IT is India's flagship sector and it is the government's duty to protect its image and its employees, he added. "We are, therefore, finalising a blueprint of India's first dedicated health policy for the BPO sector. We will finalise the policy in a national conference in Bangalore by the end of October after discussing with our industry partners. IT sector representatives will be invited to that conference," Ramadoss said. The minister added that the policy would be in place by early 2008.