Patients at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh,\u00a0will\u00a0no longer struggle to decipher their prescriptions.<\/p>\n
In compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court of India\u00a0and as per the guidelines issued by the\u00a0National Medical Commission (NMC), Prof G P Thami,\u00a0Director-Principal of GMCH, has issued strict instructions to all medical practitioners working in the institution to\u00a0prescribe medicines either in legible capital letters or through\u00a0computerised\u00a0printouts. All doctors have been directed to adhere to this mandate with immediate effect, and heads of departments have also been instructed to ensure strict compliance across all departments.\u00a0The move is a result of growing concerns over illegible handwriting on prescriptions, a longstanding issue that has often led to confusion, wrong dispensing of medicines, and, in some cases, adverse health outcomes for patients.<\/p>\n
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As per a senior doctor here, the reform is a step towards\u00a0prioritising patient safety, with many\u00a0patients and their families\u00a0often complaining\u00a0that prescriptions were difficult to read, while\u00a0chemists often guess what exactly was prescribed. \u201cThat guessing game is now over,\u201d the official added.<\/p>\n
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In a recent judgment, the Punjab and\u00a0Haryana\u00a0High Court ruled\u00a0that\u00a0a\u00a0legible medical prescription is\u00a0a fundamental\u00a0right.\u00a0In his order,\u00a0Justice\u00a0Jasgurpreet\u00a0Singh Puri had observed,\u00a0\u201cIt is very surprising and shocking to note that in this era of technology and accessibility of computers, the notes on the medical history and on the prescriptions by the government doctors are still written by hand, which cannot be read by anybody except perhaps some chemists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Framing\u00a0the issue as whether legible prescriptions and diagnoses are part of the Right to Health, the court stressed: \u201cThe importance of legible and preferably digital\/typed medical prescription has become important and indispensable,\u00a0especially in the present era of technological advancement where every information is accessible and available by a click on a screen\u2026The problem of illegible handwriting creates a gap,\u00a0resulting in inefficiencies and further limits the potential benefits of digital health innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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