IREC Rule No.222: Medical Certificate Of Health
222. Medical Certificate Of Health:-
(1) Except as provided in sub-rule (2) to (7) of this rule, no person shall be substantively appointed to a permanent post in railway service without the production of medical certificate of health in accordance with the rules prescribed by the President in the case of Group ‘A’ & ‘B’ railway servants and by the Railway Ministry in the case of Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ railway servants.
(2) Retrenched personnel, on re-employment, shall not be required to undergo the medical examination prescribed for candidates on their first appointment.
(3) A railway servant recruited though a competitive examination who had to undergo medical examination in accordance with the regulations prescribed for appointment to the service or department concerned shall be exempted from producing a medical certificate of health.
(4) Before appointments are made to Group ‘D’ posts in the office of the Railway Board and its attached and subordinate offices in Delhi and elsewhere, the prospective appointees shall be required to produce a medical certificate of health from one of the Civil Medical Officers in Delhi in the case of appointments in Delhi, and from such railway or other medical officers as may be nominated by the appointing authorities under the powers delegated to them by the Railway Ministry in the case of appointments elsewhere. This applies not only to substantive appointments to permanent posts but also to appointments in temporary vacancies likely to last more than three months.
(5) A person engaged against a temporary vacancy of less than three months duration in Group ‘C’ service or Group ‘D’ service and workshop and shed staff need not be required to undergo prescribed medical examination except when such a railway servant is subsequently retained against a temporary post or is transferred without a break to another office and the total period of continuous service under Government is expected to last for more than three months, he shall be required to produce such a certificate within a week from the date of the orders sanctioning his retention in that department or joining the new office.
(6) A temporary railway servant who has already been medically examined in one office, if transferred to another office without break in service, and a retired railway servant re-employed immediately after retirement, shall not be required to undergo the medical examination prescribed for such persons.
(7) A person re-employed after resignation should be exempted from producing a medical certificate of fitness if the resignation was for taking up another appointment under Government or Quasi-Government body for which he applied with the approval of and through the appropriate departmental authority, provided that he was medically examined by the competent medical authority and declared fit according to the medical standards not lower than those required in his new post.
Note:-
(1) The regulations for the medical examination of candidates appointed for non-gazetted railway service, and for the periodical tests of physical fitness of non-gazetted railway servants employed on Railways and other establishments are contained in the Indian Railway Establishment Manual.
(2) The regulations for the medical examination of candidates for admission to railway Services, Group A are included in the Recruitment rules.
The candidates, who are kept under observation in Railway Hospitals at the instance of the Medical Board, will have to bear the hospital stoppage charges including diet charges, X-ray charges, etc.
(3) A deaf or deaf-mute person who is otherwise fit and qualified to hold a group ‘C’ or Group ‘D’ post may be considered for appointment to a post where this can be done without much detriment to efficiency and the deaf-muteness or deafness is not likely to hamper the work or to enhance the occupational risks to the worker himself or to others. Such a person may not be appointed in places where there is a danger to the safety of such persons, e.g. in sheds and workshops or in station yards, along railway tracks and on bridges, etc.
(4) Stammering is not to be regarded as disqualifications for office clerical staff who do not have to come in direct contact with public.
(5) There should be no bar to the admission into clerical service on Railways of a candidate (either sex) who is blind in one eye. The guiding consideration should generally be whether the candidate’s vision is adequate for the performance of duties attached to the service or post and whether undue risk attaches in his/her being accepted for appointment.
Government of India’s decisions:-
(1) The proceedings of a medical examination conducted by a Medical Officer or a Medical Board constituted to examine a railway servant, or a candidate for railway service, could be treated as confidential. Candidates recommended to be disqualified by a Medical Board or a Medical Office should not be informed of the reasons which led the Board or officer to recommend disqualification. This procedure should be carefully observed.
(2) In cases, however, where a Medical Officer or a Medical Board considers that minor disability disqualifying a candidate for railway service can be cured by treatment (Medical or Surgical) a statement to that effect is recorded by the Medical Officer or the Medical Board, as the case may be. There is no objection to a candidate being informed of the Medical opinion to this effect by the Administration and when a cure has been affected it will be open to the Administration to ask for another medical examination.