 "Fix handwriting, shift to digital prescriptions: High court tells doctors")
In a recent judicial intervention, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed doctors across India to issue legible prescriptions, warning that ambiguous and illegible medical notes risk patient safety and may violate the fundamental right to health.
The court held that “legible medical prescription and diagnosis” form an integral part of the right to health and are therefore protected under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Justice Jasburpreet Singh Puri, who authored the directive, admitted that while examining a medico-legal report during a bail hearing, he could not understand a single word. He observed, “The conscience of the court was shaken by the fact that not a single word or letter in the report was legible.”
What triggered the order
The directive emerged during the hearing of a bail petition in a criminal case. The court examined a medico-legal report submitted by a government doctor, only to find the handwriting utterly indecipherable. In its judgment, the bench observed that “not even a word or a letter was legible,” describing the document as “incomprehensible,” and asserted that such illegibility “shook the conscience of the court.”
Key components of the High Court’s order
According to media reports, the court’s mandate includes several major prescriptions:
- Legible writing or digital prescriptions: Until digital or typed prescriptions become universal, doctors must write clearly in block letters
- Timeline for digitisation: The court has set a two-year window for adopting computerised, typed, or e-prescription systems across hospitals and clinics
- Curricular reform: The government and medical education regulators have been directed to incorporate handwriting and legibility modules into medical training
- State and institutional oversight: Health authorities in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh must monitor compliance, hold district-level awareness meetings, and coordinate implementation through civil surgeons and medical commissions
- Clinical Establishments Act standards: The court urged that minimum national standards under the Act be expanded to include digital record-keeping and legible prescription norms
The court also acknowledged the essential role of doctors in public service and emphasised that the mandate is not meant to shame the medical profession but to protect citizens’ rights.
Reactions from the medical community
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) expressed cautious support. Its president, Dr Dilip Bhanushali, acknowledged the problem in an interview with the BBC, noting that while many urban doctors already use digital tools, the burden on practitioners in rural or resource-limited settings is heavier. He indicated the association’s willingness to collaborate on workable solutions.
However, some medical practitioners have raised practical concerns. In high-volume public hospitals, doctors frequently handle dozens or even hundreds of patients in a shift, making rapid writing a necessity. The transition to digital systems will require investment in infrastructure, training, and administrative support, especially in under-resourced areas.
Pharmacists and dispensing staff have long complained about ambiguous prescriptions. Some have developed informal “decoding” practices or routinely call doctors to verify prescriptions when needed.