[Reader-list] Smart health card

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear All

That smart card based identification is being tested on all sorts of fringe
populations, is one conclusion we can clearly draw from reading the story
below, which is about giving smart card to sex workers.

 We already know that on a national scale, pilot project with respect to
MNIC has been completed which included pocket populations comprising of
people mostly living on border towns and districts, on a smaller scale
though, since last six months, we have seen news reports about need for a
smart card based identification systems for fishermen of Kerala or
Maharashtra, biometric identification is currently on, I believe, in urban
clusters  or 'slums' like LNJP and as the story below indicates, commercial
sex workers are being roped in too, to share medical information.

In this instance, the argument for distributing a smart card is, based on
the idea of public health care, as the story suggests-

The 'card serves another purpose. It has the medical record of the sex
worker, who has to compulsorily get his or her health check up at a clinic
once in three months. The card becomes inactive if the holder fails to do
this.'

Maybe one can think of a benevolent big brother here!

Warm regards

Taha

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1036385
K Raghu Sunday, June 18, 2006 23:17 IST


BANGALORE: Under a project facilitated by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, about 500 sex workers in Mysore own chip-embedded smart cards,
which when presented during transactions help them get discounts at select
shops and hotels and earn them loyalty points that can be redeemed for
discounts on later purchases. The shopping basket can include provisions,
food at restaurants and clothes.

But the card serves another purpose. It has the medical record of the sex
worker, who has to compulsorily get his or her health check up at a clinic
once in three months. The card becomes inactive if the holder fails to do
this. The sex workers will be checked for sexually transmitted diseases
(STD) and treatment provided if necessary.

The vendors and the health specialists are provided with Simputer, the
homegrown handheld device developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), to bridge the digital divide and the data is stored in real
time at a central server to maintain confidentiality.

The encrypted card bars access of health records by traders, while doctors
cannot find out the business transaction details. "Sex workers face stigma
and discrimination in their daily life. The smart card is a symbol of
self-esteem that creates a sense of inclusion for them in the society,"
Ratna, a community member at Ashodaya, a non-government organisation (NGO)
that works on AIDS, said.

The smart card initiative is being implemented by Ashodaya Women's
Co-ordination Committee, Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) and Pennant
Consulting Services.

KHPT reaches about 1400 female and around 200 male sex workers active in
Mysore city and most of them conduct their business during the day. They
earn anywhere between Rs200 and Rs1,500 a day. "It is not uncommon for us to
buy as many as three new saris a month. Looking attractive is essential in
our trade," Pushpa, a sex worker, said. KHPT officials said that the smart
card initiative came from discussion with the sex workers, who identified an
incentive of discounts with a health card to be a better alternative than a
pure health card.