The Odisha government has directed all doctors to write prescription in proper legible handwriting or in typed form following a direction of Orissa High Court.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has issued a notification instructing that all registered medical practitioners and medical officers of government peripheral health care facilities, medical college hospitals, private clinics and private medical colleges are to write prescription in proper legible handwriting or in typed form as per National Medical Commission guideline.
“The medico legal reports and post-mortem reports are to be written either in capital letter or in a typed form or in good legible handwriting to ensure appreciation of evidence in the judicial system and to be uploaded in Medico Legal Opinion System, Odisha,” Odisha Chief Secretary issued a direction. The instruction will come into force with immediate effect.
The Orissa HC in a recent judgment said, “in many cases, the casual approach of most of the doctors while writing the post-mortem report is affecting the comprehension medico-legal documents badly and the judicial system finds it very difficult to read those letters and come to a definite conclusion.”
The HC had directed Chief Secretary to issue direction to all the doctors of the State to write the post-mortem report and prescription in capital letter or in legible handwriting.
“The tendency of writing such zig zag handwriting, which cannot be read by any common man or by judicial officers, has become a fashion among the doctors of the State. Substantial number of doctors in the State resort to such handwriting which cannot be read by any ordinary person. In such view of the matter, the Chief Secretary of the State is directed to issue a circular to all the Medical Centres, Private Clinics and Medical Colleges and Hospitals directing them to write in proper handwriting or in a type of form when they are prescribing medicine or writing some medico-legal reports,” the court had ordered.