Health details in license are mandatory

Hyderabad: Health details of the particular owner of the vehicle have to mention the blood group in the license. In case of emergency, it will be easy to retrieve once blood group which can help him losing his life. The driving licenses in Telangana state lack the most important and basic detail, the blood group. The option was included in the Motor Vehicle Act, with the intention that it would be useful in case riders met with an accident. However, authorities say, that is not being implemented by the state because the information is “optional.” 

Mr Sathi Reddy, a social activist, said, “We have given the option for representing the blood group in the driving licenses even in the past, but there has been no action from the officials. It is the one basic information that is needed by any hospital when an accident victim is taken there.” 

Mr Vinod K. Kanumala, Chief Functionary, Indian Federation of Road Safety, pointed out that there was a problem with the designing of the application itself, as the crucial information has been marked optional. “These kind of health-related details are mandatory,” he said “In some foreign countries, they mention the entire health status of the individual, not just blood group, so that proper medical care would be given to him at the time of emergencies,” he added.

Experts say, in emergencies, where an accident victim is unconscious and away from family, then the license can save not only time but also life, if the blood group is provided.

Dr Harikrishna of Apollo hospital, said, “If we know the blood group of the patient, then it would be advantageous in emergency situations.  In normal cases anyway, we cross-check and determine the group, even if the patient states his/her blood group on his own.”

An accident victim, Jeetender Surana, said, “At the time of obtaining learning licences itself, there should be a medical camp which should test a blood sample and determine the group and include the authentic details in the licence, which helps in saving many lives.”

When the Transport department was asked why the space for the blood group column was empty, the Transport department’s Joint Transport Commissioner, Mr C. Ramesh said, “Anyway it is optional here. It is not mandatory according to the Motor Vehicles Act, so there is no mention of it. And the power to make it mandatory lies with the Central government.”