KASTURI & SONS (THE HINDU)News paper industry

130 year old organisation

4 publications

Published at 12 places

3572 employees in total ; 1672 in Chennai

Employee Health & Welfare Proactive management

MEDICAL TEAM

• Guided by Dr.Nalini Krishnan M.D., - Director

• Supported by

5 Medical officers

Clinical assistants

Medical Social Worker & Counsellor

Physiotherapists

Laboratory Staff

• A comprehensive health care programme launched under the Arogyaraksha banner in 1997 for various curative and preventive medicine and health promotion programmes at worksite

THE HINDU HEALTH & WELFARE CENTRE

• Established in 1994

• Located at the heart of Chennai

• On site emergency services at the press & corporate office also provided

• Provides comprehensive health care services to

• Service employees & their families

• Retired employees & their spouse

THE HINDU HEALTH & WELFARE CENTRE

HEALTH CARE SERVICES PROVIDED

• Outpatient medical consultation & treatment

• Specialists’ consultations - twice a week

• Diagnostic Lab Services & ECG

• Imaging services - X-ray, Ultra Sonogram & Echocardiogram

• Well equipped physiotherapy unit

• Counselling services for employees & families

• Pharmacy services – at no cost to patients

COUNSELLING SERVICES

• Counselling of employees on work-place related inter-personal behavioural and emotional problems

• House visits for follow-up counselling

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMMES

• Awareness programmes on smoking and alcoholism conducted In schools and colleges Government and private corporations to mention a few

o Tamil Nadu steels - Arakonamo Brakes India – Padi, Chennaio Reserve bank of Indiao Hindustan motors

Tamil Nadu police – Nearly 80,000 police personnel have been covered through workshops conducted for alcohol deaddiction

Hospitals and deaddiction centres Rural villages at Chingleput,Salem and Madurai And wherever help is required

OTHER HEALTH CARE ACTIVITIES

• The Hindu in 1996 in collaboration with ILO & an NGO, TTK Hospital participated in workshops and conducted programmes for prevention of alcohol and drug abuse at work place

• April 1998 : Policy against Substance Abuse formulated jointly by the Union & the Management

• Sponsoring for alcohol de-addiction treatment

• Also participated in the ARMADA (Association of Resource Managers Against Drug Abuse) & SOLVE programmes on management of Stress,Tobacco and Alcohol Addiction, HIV infection and Violence

HEARING CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

• Carried out in May 2001

• Helped to reduce noise emission & keep it within safety limits

• Employees educated on the importance of using hearing protective equipment

• Annual on-site health screening & master health check up done for employees of all branches

• Counselling on lifestyle modification done

• Well-Women Check-Up – Including Gynec examination, Mammogram & PAP Smear

• Screening of Food Handlers (canteen staff) for communicable diseases once in 6 months

• Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccines administered

PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PROGRAMMES

ABOUT THE AA GROUP

• AA Support Groups for patients & Al-Anon Family member support groups

• AA group meetings held at corporate office and at press (Maraimalainagar) once a week

• Senior members from other AA groups with long years of soberity invited to share their experience

• Al- Anon group meetings held at welfare centre

• 94 employees have come forward for treatment

• 70.7% of them remain sober still

• Health promotional activities at work place include• Educative and awareness lectures on personal

hygiene, road safety, addiction, cancer, obesity,

hypertension, diabetes and other related diseases• Dissemination of information through

notices,posters,flyers • Messages on scrollers at canteen • Poster exhibition• Screening camps• In-house newsletter called Welfare Watch• Health Promotion Messages in pay packet • Participation in health fairs

OTHER HEALTH CARE ACTIVITIES

SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMME

• Initiated on 1st January, 1999

• Declared ‘No Smoking’ office on 1st January, 2000

• Conducted by Dr.Nalini Krishnan, Director, Dr.Mary Varman Chief Medical Officer & Ms.Malini Roberts, Medical Social Worker of The Hindu H & WC

• Technical Assistance by Ms. Thirumagal, Director of Counselling,T.T. Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation, Chennai

SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMME – How achieved ?

• Phased withdrawal of smoking zones at the work spot

• Smoking zones reduced from 3 places in 1999 to ‘zero’ in 2000

• Counselling & Workshops on Smoking Cessation & Tips to quit smoking

• Display of Anti –Smoking posters at strategic places in the work place

• Distribution of pamphlets on health hazards of smoking & financial loss due to smoking along with the monthly pay Cheque & at ‘QSP’ work shops

• Hand-outs distributed

SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMME – How achieved ?

• Based on Questionnaire survey 6 months after ‘QSP’

• 4% decline in the total number of smokers after 6 months of ‘QSP’

• Decrease in the numbers of cigarettes smoked

• Overwhelming response from the employees for ‘no smoking’ in work place (94%)

• Change of smoking location to outside office premises (67.6%)

SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMME – Results

• Stopping smoking during office hours (15%)

• Smoking only after work and outside premises (7%)

• Relapse of smoking was 26.4%

• Reasons for relapse - peer pressure & perception of stress & ‘tension’

SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMME – Results

‘A Cigar is a pipe with fire at one end and fool at the other’ - anonymous

‘Smoking Pays … … The tobacco company, The Hospital ,The undertaker’

So ……

Thank You