The Andhra Pradesh branch of Indian Red Cross Society has alerted the government that there is need for public education and an awareness campaign about the misuse of the Red Cross logo that belongs to the Red Cross Movement and Army Medical Services.

Dr K Rajyalakshmi, secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Andhra Pradesh alarmed the authorities that the logo is not that of the medical profession or pharmacies and its use is regulated by international and national laws. Not even the blood banks are authorised to use the Red Cross emblem. There must be a government mechanism and agency to strictly implement the Geneva Convention Act, 1960, she said.

Dr Rajyalakshmi told Pharmabiz.com that the authorised users of the Red Cross emblem are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and also the National Red Cross Societies, the military medical services, their personnel, units, installations and means of transport, First Aid centres that offer free medical assistance and are authorised by the National Red Cross Society.

She asserted that the unauthorised peace-time misuse of the emblem was common among medical professionals and their institutions. It was unfortunate that they continue to use the Red Cross emblem even though they had their own professional symbols, which were equally attractive and reflected the values and traditions of their respective professions. There were separate emblems for hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and ambulances, she said.

"The institutions which abused the emblem included government medical institutions like hospitals, dispensaries, clinics and blood banks; members of medical, dental and nursing associations; pharmaceutical companies, their staff and products; private hospitals, clinics and nursing homes; pharmacies and medical stores; traditional healers and herbalists and organizations operating ambulances," points out Dr Rajyalakshmi

Asked when was the Red Cross emblem adopted and its significance, she said it was adopted during the Crimean war in 1864 as a neutral sign to identify and protect the relief medical committees and the Army medical services. It was adopted to facilitate access to the wounded soldiers and other victims of war so that the much needed assistance could reach them.

Red Cross on white background, which was formed by reversing the colours in the Swiss Federal flag, was adopted as a compliment to Switzerland, which played the key role in establishing national relief societies and also convening the Diplomatic Conference in 1864. The Geneva Convention of 1949, which formed the basis for the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), retained this emblem, besides recognizing two more symbols, the Red Crescent and the Red Lion & Sun on a white background.

After adoption at the Geneva convention, the Red Cross emblem had become a universally known and legally sanctified neutral sign to identify the people with protected status in the situations of armed conflict -- the armed forces medical units, the chaplains and the relief committees. They were in the battlefield exclusively for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded and sick soldiers and other victims of war, and were protected from all kinds of hostile military action under the International Humanitarian Law. "When the components of the Red Cross Movement use this emblem it signifies the seven fundamental principles which underlie their humanitarian and relief activities in situations of armed conflicts and natural disasters."

The Geneva Convention of 1949 mandates the signatory countries to ensure respect for the Red Cross emblem. They are required to regulate the use and repress any kind of misuse of the emblem by appropriate legislative and administrative measures. As of now 189 countries are parties to the Geneva Convention.

Misuse of the emblem will diminish its protective value and thus destroy the delicate mechanism established by IHL to ensure the much-needed humanitarian assistance to the victims of war. Misuse of the emblem will also diminish the credibility and the fundamental principles of the Red Cross Movement and thus seriously hurt one of the most successful humanitarian movements of the world.

India had ratified the Geneva Convention on October 16, 1950, and thus became a state party to the Geneva Convention. The Indian law regulating the use of the emblem is called the Geneva Convention Act, 1960. Chapter IV of this Act deals with the abuse of the emblem. Section 12 read with Section 13 of this chapter makes unauthorized use of the Red Cross emblem or its imitation a punishable offence. The punishment is a fine of Rs 500, besides the provision for forfeiture of the goods or vehicles on which the emblem has been used without authorisation.

According to Dr Rajyalakshmi the reason why the medical profession is using the Red Cross emblem instead of their respective emblems may be because of the general ignorance of the people in the medical profession about their own professional symbol and also the Red Cross emblem. Red Cross is almost a household symbol and everyone identifies it with the medical profession. There is also an absence of administrative mechanism to implement the provisions of the Geneva Convention Act.

She suggested educating the general public through the media, especially the electronic media, seminars, workshops and conferences, educating children through school curriculum, dialogue with the unauthorized users of the emblem and drawing the attention of the government to the general misuse and the need for appropriate measures to protect the emblem.