Mumbai: Free OPD helps obese traffic police get back in shape

Rupali Kadam after the bariatric surgery

Thanks to a free OPD for cops suffering from obesity, that well-known bariatric surgeon Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala started in association with the police department six months back, 10 cops are on their way to a leaner physique.

"In the past six months, we have been holding the OPD twice a week. It is essential for police officers to stay fit, but often they fail to do so due to work demands. Bariatric surgery is not covered under mediclaim, so we have been performing the surgeries free of cost through our out reach programme," said Dr Lakdawala. One of the 10 beneficiaries is Rupali Kadam, 35, a police constable who was always subjected to taunts. She weighed 132 kg and since the surgery in February, has lost over 38 kg.

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Kadam, a resident of Nashik, joined the Mumbai Traffic police department in 2007 but started gaining weight due to her lifestyle. When she joined the department, she only weighed 65 kg. "Passers-by would often laugh at me or taunt me because of my weight. I was on the verge of depression. I struggled even to take the stairs. I used to have such pain in my knees that I couldn't walk for long," she said. She couldn't wear her uniform and wore saris on duty.

She found out about the OPD by chance when she had taken a person accused of a traffic violation to Nagpada police station and saw a hoarding about it there. She then met Dr Lakdawala who suggested bariatric surgery. "I have gained back my confidence and wear my uniform again," Kadam said.

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