The Kerala government's newly formed Department of Senior Citizens' Welfare on Friday launched the Elder-Friendly Office Certification (EFOC), the first-of-its-kind in the country, for government and private institutions in the state. The certification will cover village and taluk offices, hospitals, banks and transport counters.
The move comes as Kerala is among the states with the highest proportion of senior citizens while the number is expected to go up in the coming decades.
Offices will be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates based on inspections carried out against clear, common standard. The certificates have to be renewed after a specific period. However, unannounced inspections will be conducted in between.
The certificate assumes relevance as there had been lack of a clear system to address the difficulties faced by senior citizens visiting government offices and other establishments. Keys issues include long queues, stairs without handrails, forms in small print, and counters that require climbing stairs. The new certification system aims to address all these issues.
How it will work
Certified offices will receive a plaque and a QR-coded digital certificate. Their names will be listed on a public registry. Gold-rated offices will also get priority in schemes under the Silver Economy programme.
EFOC will be awarded based on performances in five domains. Building accessibility will get 30 per cent of the score while service delivery scores 25 per cent and staff training and conduct 20 per cent. The fourth domain is communication, which has a score of 15 per cent and the remaining 10 per cent will be based on participation.
Mandatory criteria include step-free entry, a ground-floor toilet, a priority queue for senior citizens, and officers specifically assigned to senior citizens' needs. “If any of these is missing, the office will not be considered for certification, regardless of its overall score,” the department stated.
The Nodal Cell under the Department of Senior Citizens' Welfare will manage the registry. A state-level Steering Committee will approve the standards and decide on Gold awards.
To obtain the Gold certificate, an establishment must score an aggregate of 85 per cent or above while no domain should score below 60 per cent. It will be valid for five years.
Silver certificate requires a score of 70 to 84. It is also valid for five years. The Bronze certificate is valid only for two years. A score of 60 to 69 earns a provisional Bronze but it is valid for only two years. It will be confirmed only after a re-inspection.
An unannounced inspection will be carried out every year at 10 per cent of certified offices.
Site visits and scoring will be carried out by independent, empanelled third-party agencies with no connection to the office being assessed, according to the department.
Global models, Indian standards
EFOC has been framed based on the Sharjah model in the UAE, the World Health Organisation's Age-Friendly Cities network, and the Certified Age-Friendly Employer programme in the United States. Technical standards for ramps, signage and toilets follow the national guidelines issued in 2021 under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. This is the first time such standards have been brought together in India.
The pilot phase, which expected six months after the empanelment of agencies is complete, will cover one office in each of the 14 districts. It will be extended state-wide in the second year to village, taluk and collectorate offices, treasuries, RTOs and government hospitals. Other offices will be covered from the third year.
Private hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies can join the scheme voluntarily on a paid basis.
