Health ministry finds diabetic, pregnant women “fit” to join civil services

UNION health ministry has okayed a proposal that diabetic, hypersensitive and pregnant women be allowed to join civil services, according to a report in a daily newspaper. Under the current rules, those who cross the hurdle of UPSC may find themselves "unfit" during medical examination because of diabetes and hypertension. Also, pregnant women are debarred to join the services. But a news report published in The Asian Age quoted Director General of health services Dr Jagdish Prasad to say the health ministry had already sent a set of recommendations to DoPT asking diabetic and hypersensitive to be declared ‘fit” categories for the job. 

Also, it recommended that pregnant women can’t be declared unfit during medical test on the ground of pregnancy. Only those women who are in strenuous jobs will be declared unfit for a temporary period-- till the time the baby is born. 

The newspaper quoted Prasad as saying “diabetes and hypertension are the most common problems”. The health ministry recommendation to department of personnel and training (DoPT) however said that diabetics and hypertensive be allowed to join government service if there is “no micro-vascular effect”. 

In fact, some of India’s top policy makers handling strenuous tasks are actually diabetic. For example, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, defence minister AK Antony and Leader of Opposition IN Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj are diabetic. 

The famous case where a diabetic was rejected even after he had cleared civil services was M Srinivasu. After he had cleared UPSC in 2008, he was declared “unfit” first by a panel of doctors in Safdarjung hospital and then by Ram Manohar Lohia hospital to join the services. Srinivasu also appealed to Prime Minister.

Earlier, another candidate Sukhsohit Singh who was ranked 883 in 2008 UPSC examination was rejected by the medical board as he was found to be thalassemic. But he had managed to join the Indian Defence Accounts Services in September 2011 after PM had intervened.

Source: babusofindia.com