LAHORE - A free medical camp has revealed that the drivers of leading private transport companies at inter and intra-city routes are unfit.

Sources in Punjab Transport Department and Lahore Transport Company said drivers of private bus operators hardly go through medical checkup.

They said mostly of them were underpaid and went for overtime

The National Highways and Motorway Police yesterday set up a free medical camp for drivers as part of its road safety drive at Maraka near Lahore. A total of 255 drivers from major bus companies underwent medical checkup.

It was revealed that 115 drivers of inter-city routes were found having weak eyesight, 73 suffering from hypertension and 66 drivers were diagnosed diabetics.

An NH&MP spokesperson confirmed the drivers of public service, private vehicles and heavy transport vehicles joined in and found unfit.

 “Yes they were patients of diabetes, hypertension and weak eyesight,” the spokesperson said. He added the objective of medical camp was to raise the level of awareness amongst the general public about the importance of road safety with medically fit drivers.

“The doctors of motorway police screened the participants for general health parameters. Eyesight checkup was done by the specialists from Mughal Eye Hospital of Lahore. The camp was aimed to detect those defects and advise the drivers to go ahead with treatment, if needed,” spokesman added.

LTC sources said that from 70 to 80 percent drivers were medically unfit.

 “Even the drivers of major transport companies in the city are unfit for drive. They never went through medical checkup. The situation of the drivers of vans and pickup and rickshaws is even worse,” they said.