80% of Bengaluru's civic workers have diabetes, high BP

Working tirelessly to keep the city spick and span seems to be badly affecting the health of BBMP employees, especially civic workers.

A health check-up camp conducted at the BBMP head office on Thursday to mark the International Day of Yoga gave civic workers some grim warnings about their health. The camp was organised by the BBMP Officers’ and Employees’ Welfare Association.

Sample this. About 500 out of the 2,500-odd employees at the BBMP head office turned up for the check-up camp. And a whopping 80% of them were diagnosed with having non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, according to doctors.

Many of the workers encounter harsh weather during the course of their work on a daily basis. “Call it erratic lifestyle or genetic effects, 80% of the screened personnel were diagnosed with having hypertension while 30% are diabetic,” a doctor supervising the tests said.

Dr K M Prasanna Kumar, from the Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Care, who conducted the diabetes test, said: “We can attribute the diabetic symptoms to their lifestyle modifications such as overeating, lack of access to nutritious food, hereditary reasons, less physical activities, as well as, work-related stress.”