JOIN USThe Health department is mulling over making it mandatory for cooks in all hotels and restaurants to possess health cards after undergoing health check-up in government hospitals, said Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader.
He was speaking after inaugurating the new building of the primary health centre at Kudupu on the outskirts of the city on Monday.
Stressing the need for issuing the health cards, he said most often, cooks do not undergo a medical test before joining duty and they might be suffering from one or the other illness. Therefore, health cards will be issued to promote hygiene in hotels.
According to the plan, cooks will have to undergo medical check-up once in a year and get the card renewed. Hotel owners will be penalised if the cooks are found not possessing health cards. The programme will be implemented in star hotels in the first phase. The department has not yet decided on the type of medical tests that cooks will have to undergo, he said.