The importance of identification in an emergency

I will never forget the tragic incident a few years back, where a tourist had to be admitted to a hospital due to critical injuries sustained in an accident, but he could not be identified.  He had no documents as his luggage was lost in the incident.  We were helpless, we did not even know which country he was from.  We could not phone his relatives, the hospital had to wait hours before treating him as they had no idea of what medication he might be on, any allergies, etc.  Most importantly we could have accessed his medical          insurance to provide for emergency surgery, if we could identify him.  When he was eventually identified through travel records—a huge issue to obtain records due to the POPIA Act—he had already passed away and his family was denied the opportunity to see him before he died. 

I was relieved when I was told about this app which can prevent such a     tragedy.  For only R60 a year, your family / staff and your self-drive tourist can sign up to this app which is used by emergency personnel.  All EMS    personnel have free access to use the app, provided they are registered.