Everybody has a bitter tale to tell about autorickshaw drivers. But sometimes there may be a reason why that driver did not stop for you when you were stuck in the pouring rain. With constant exposure to pollution — including noise pollution — their stress levels are extremely high.
Fatigue and BP
Doctors say constant cacophonous noise can actually have an adverse effect on the drivers' nervous system, leading to fatigue and increased blood pressure. The environment in which these drivers spend a majority of their time is polluted and dangerous, leading to severe stress. Most importantly, they are prone to accidents. If you have observed the little ID near the passenger seat which gives details of the driver, you will notice that the blood group column is usually blank. This is because most of them don't know what their blood group is.
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Medical camp
To check these occupational hazards among auto drivers, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd., in association with Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU), is organising a day's free medical check-up camp for the drivers in Bangalore.
The free health check-up will cover random blood sugar (for diabetes, but further tests need to be done for foolproof scrutiny), haemoglobin, TC and DC (used for testing the reasons behind any prolonged weakness, fatigue, tiredness and infections), blood group, height, weight and blood pressure.
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The venue
This camp is part of a health campaign launched by the diagnostic centre to encourage auto drivers to lead a healthy life.
It will be held at the ARDU office in Gayathri Nagar on November 28 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“The campaign will promote occupational safety and heighten the awareness of the importance of physical well-being of the auto drivers. About 100 are expected to attend the camp,” a spokesperson for Metropolis said.
As part of the campaign, Metropolis will issue stickers to be pasted in autorickshaws bearing traffic safety messages.