Write prescriptions in capital letters, Health Dept tells doctors

The Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Haryana, has written to all Civil Surgeons that "all diagnoses/prescriptions shall be written in capital/bold letters". He said, “The instructions shall be applicable only in case of handwritten diagnosis/prescription and shall cease to apply once computerised/typed prescriptions are adopted. Furthermore, you are directed to inform all private hospitals through the IMA (Indian Medical Association) of your respective district.”

Similar instructions were issued on May 27, and again on September 18, following a judgment pronounced by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 27.

The court was dealing with a matter of anticipatory bail in a rape and forgery case. After looking at the Medico-Legal Report (MLR) filed by Haryana, Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri said, “…not even a word or a letter was legible.” He added that in another case, the prescription, like clinical notes, was illegible. “Both of them have been written by the doctors working in the government hospitals while treating their patients.”

Haryana counsel, however, told the court that efforts would be made to get the handwritten notes deciphered by the same doctor.

The doctor then later filed her affidavit after deciphering the language. She told the court that the woman was medically examined on February 19, 2024, but her last sexual contact was made two-and-a-half months ago on December 3, 2023, so the sample could not be collected.

The accused finally got anticipatory bail.

Taking cognisance of illegibility of notes on medical history and prescriptions, the court said, “…it 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 doctors…”

Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh told the court that instructions had been issued that all medical prescriptions/diagnosis should be written in capital letters.

Amicus Curiae Tanu Bedi submitted that “illegible or incomplete prescriptions are a leading cause of medication errors.” She added, “Pharmacists may misinterpret drug names, dosages, routes of administration, frequencies and other medical related opinions, leading to patients receiving wrong medication, incorrect doses or improper instructions prejudicially affecting treatment plan. Such errors can also result in adverse drug reactions, therapeutic failures, prolonged hospital stays, increased healthcare costs and in severe cases even death.”