Elderly-friendly certification launched for government offices across Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an effort to make government offices across the state inclusive, the department of senior citizens welfare has launched an elderly-friendly office certification (EFOC) scheme. Certification activities will extend to institutions, from village and taluk offices to hospitals, banks, and transport counters, and inspections will be carried out against clear, common standards. The offices will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze certificates based on the inspection.

“Offices will be evaluated across five domains — 30 % of the score for building accessibility; 25% for service delivery, 20% for staff training and conduct; 15% for communication and 10% for participation. Step-free entry, a ground-floor toilet, a priority queue for senior citizens, and specifically assigned officers to senior citizens’ needs are mandatory for the certification,” said an official statement.

Offices scoring 85% or above overall, with at least 60% in every domain, will receive a gold certificate valid for five years. Those scoring 70% to 84% will receive a silver certificate, also valid for five years. A score of 60% to 69% will qualify for a provisional bronze certificate, valid for two years. The bronze certification will be confirmed only after a re-inspection. Also, 10 % of the certified offices will be subjected to unannounced inspections every year.