February 12, 2018

No fewer than 126 police personnel in Enugu have undergone medical check-up to ascertain their health status as they carry out their duties or plan for retirement.

The medical examination comprising blood pressure, sugar level and cholesterol level check, was part of a pre-retirement programme for police personnel leaving the force between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2018.

Dr Hamza Wuro-Bekki, Managing Director, Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Pensions Limited, said the check-up was part of the innovations to help intending or retired personnel ascertain their health status.

Wuro-Bekki said that the company was not only concerned about the personnel’s financial stability and settlement after retirement, but also about their health.

He said, “we started this innovation to ensure that our police personnel, whether intending or actually retired, are very healthy and that they inculcate the habit of regular check-up.

“It was at the last seminar in Osogbo that one of the retired police personnel slumped and had stroke; it took days for him to be revived.

“Such worrying development is what we want to stop among retired and serving police personnel.’’

Dr Austin Onye, the Head of the medical team, said that the most prevalent condition among those screened was high cholesterol level.

He said that the affected personnel had been advised to cut down on carbohydrate, eat moderately and engage in physical exercise.

“We also issued prescription for those that have minor health challenges and advised few who have diabetes due to high cholesterol to go to hospital for management,’’ Onye said.

A beneficiary of the medical check-up, Mr Norbert Ugwu, said that the exercise was a nice initiative as it helped one to know his or her state of health.

“This initiative has further sensitised me on the need to go for medical check-up from time to time,’’ Ugwu said.