Bengaluru: The health department is planning to send a proposal to the central govt to include indented QR codes on the back of medicine strips and boxes, to provide essential drug information through smartphones to visually impaired people.This move follows health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao’s recent interaction with representatives of a Japanese company in Mysuru. “Our govt is committed to equitable healthcare and innovative solutions. To support independent living of persons with visual disabilities, we are focusing on introducing QR codes on medicine strips to provide essential drug information through smartphones,” Rao said.
He said the decision to propose these codes was taken based on data collected from 500 visually impaired persons across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana under the Initiative for Medication Practices and Accessibility through QR Code Technology for the Visually Impaired Persons (IMPACT-VIP) project, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).“The QR codes will have indentations on them, and smartphones can guide the visually impaired on how they can use them. I personally interacted with a few visually impaired people who were present and found that it is easy for them to scan these QR codes, as most are proficient smartphone users. Our intention is that even if visually impaired people are alone while buying medicines, they can still get all the necessary information — dosage, manufacturing date, expiry date, and composition of the drug — with these codes,” the minister told TOI.“As it has to undergo a standardisation process, we will send a proposal to the central govt to implement it at the national level,” he added. He also noted that this initiative will benefit not only the visually impaired but also the elderly and those facing language or literacy barriers, while also easing challenges for visually impaired pharmacists.While the proposal awaits the Centre’s nod, it has been welcomed by the visually impaired. “QR codes on medicine strips can be very beneficial for visually impaired individuals. If the code is placed in a predictable and standard location on the packaging, it can be easily scanned to access key information such as expiry date, which is often difficult or impossible for a visually impaired person to read. This is particularly important for parents with vision impairment who need to administer medication to their children, as scanning the QR code ensures they can do so safely. QR codes also allow for digital magnification and screen reading, making information more accessible to people with partial vision, unlike the small printed text on bottles or strips,” said Moses Chowdari, COO of EnAble India, an NGO dedicated to promoting economic independence and dignity of persons with disabilities.
