Punjab and Haryana High Court call for cure to illegible doctor’s ‘scrawl’

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stepped in to prescribe a much-needed remedy for the doctors’ scrawl after describing the ailment as astounding and appalling in the era of computers. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri also sought the assistance of Advocates-General of Punjab and Haryana, along with UT senior standing counsel and the National Medical Commission (NMC), to lay down remedial measures. The court has also appointed advocate Tanu Bedi as amicus curiae in the matter.

The directions came in a case where the court found the handwriting in a medico-legal report to be absolutely illegible and incomprehensible. “It is very surprising and shocking to note that in this era of computers, the notes on the medical history and on the prescriptions by the government doctors are written by hand which cannot be read by anybody except perhaps some doctors. This court has also seen in a number of cases where even the medical prescription is written in such a handwriting which nobody can read except perhaps some chemists,” Justice Puri observed.

A petition in the matter was filed against the state of Haryana through advocate Aditya Sanghi. But the court noted that his was not an isolated incident but a systemic issue prevalent in the state of Punjab and “probably in UT Chandigarh as well”. As such, the court was of the view that Punjab and Chandigarh should also assist the bench in the matter.

Justice Puri asserted that the right to know one’s medical status was intrinsically linked to the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. “It will not be out of place to even note that the right to know the medical status of a human being can also be considered as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Health and the treatment given to a human being is a part of life and therefore, it may be considered as part of right to life,” the court asserted.

Expressing its dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, Justice Puri called for concrete solutions from the authorities concerned. “This court is of the view that to have knowledge about the medical prescription by the doctor and the notes on the medical history is prima facie a right vested in the patient or the attendants to peruse the same and apply their mind, especially in today’s technological world,” the bench observed.

Before parting with the case, the court made it clear that remedial and corrective measures regarding illegible writing on medical notes and prescriptions, not only by the government but also private doctors in both the states and UT, would be explored.