NEW DELHI: An expert committee constituted by the govt has suggested adding a QR code linked with voice assistance in medicine strips to aid the visually impaired people in reading information about medicines. The committee has also suggested, among other measures, adding secondary packaging with braille cards for the benefit of such people, as and when required. These suggestions have been put out in the public domain at present for feedback by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). According to the officials, the govt had received representations regarding problems faced by blind or visually impaired people in reading the strips of medicines. These special peoples face difficulty to know the name / expiry of the medicines and depend on others therefore, the govt was requested for a provision under Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules to label the drugs with Braille inscriptions. Following this, a sub-committee was formed to examine the concerns and suggest measures. The sub-committee suggested measures such as additional labeling in braille language to be implemented “initially on voluntary basis” for the drugs with a focus on medicinal products that are more likely to be used by a visually impaired target population. Recently, the suggestions were taken up for consideration by the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), an advisory body nominated by the central govt, which opined that the recommendations of the sub-committee may be placed on the CDSCO website for public comments along with additional point – the provision of QR code linked with voice assistance on medicine strips and a secondary packaging containing more than 10 units of medicines may have some braille cards for giving to such population as and when required. Dr N K Pandey, chairman and managing director Asian Institute of Medical Sciences said the proposed move by the govt will empower the visually impaired with autonomy and dignity in managing their health. “The inclusion of QR codes further enhances this initiative by allowing access to audio or digitally readable information, which is particularly helpful for the partially sighted,” he said.
