Why is it Important for Offices to Have Easy Access to a Medical Facility?

On the night of 27 th November 2017, Moses Ranjan Raj, a techie working at TCS in Chennai, was attending a conference call when he suddenly fell ill. According to a news report, a team mate had found him lying on the ground near his work desk, having seizures. Though he was rushed to the Chettinad Hospital, 41-year-old Moses was declared 'brought dead' after suffering a heart attack. The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), the then newly formed trade union for the IT sector in Tamil Nadu, alleged that the company had failed to provide proper medical facilities to its employees.

While one can only contemplate in retrospect at what happened to Moses, high stress levels at most corporate offices means more and more people are falling prey to illnesses related to that stress. This makes it all the more important for immediate help to be made available for employees who need it, when they need it.

Doctors at Medanta- The Medicity believe that a lot is evolving in terms of work culture today.

Younger people are joining the workforce in jobs that are very non-traditional like the IT and BPO sector. Working in these sectors means erratic working hours, irregular eating and sleeping patterns and stress. It is only imminent that younger people will have health issues,” says Dr Sushila Kataria of the Internal Medicine department at Medanta.

Medanta has partnered with DLF and launched the Medanta Mediclinic in DLF Cybercity, Gurgaon. This area houses some of the biggest multinational companies, working round the clock. The Mediclinic serves as a multi-super speciality clinic and outpatient facility with ambulances on standby, that deliver healthcare services to thousands of corporate employees working in the vicinity.

A medical facility within a working area or complex is beneficial on many levels.

• Many health issues can be addressed on an immediate basis. In serious conditions like an asthma attack, heart attack or stroke where time is critical, the patient can be stabilised within the ‘golden hour’ before being sent to a hospital for further treatment.
• Regular issues like fever, cough, infections can be addressed in time, thereby preventing a flare up and the subsequent days off taken by employees.
• Organisations can send their employees for their routine preventive check-ups within the office district without impacting productivity. People can report to work post the tests instead of taking an entire day off.

Doctors also feel that having a medical facility at work or within easy access, boosts confidence in employees, knowing that their employers care about their health and well- being. Often, knowing a qualified doctor is at hand indirectly improves productivity.

Companies will have fewer people taking sick leave when it may not be required, and employees will be reassured if they know that help is easily available if the situation arises,” says Dr Kataria.

A win-win situation for everyone.