Soon, doctors to write prescriptions in capital letters

Janjivan Bureau
NEW DELHI : Soon patients will not face the problem of dirty writing of doctors. Doctors to prescribe medicines in capital letters to make them “legible” the Union health ministry will soon come out with a gazette notification.
“The health ministry will come out with gazette notification under the MCI regulations. Under this, the prescription should be legible and preferably written in capital letters along with the names of the generic drug prescribed,” a senior Union health ministry official told.
Centre had amended rules in the Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002, directing physicians to prescribe drugs with generic names in legible and capital letters. Indian Medical Association’s Dr. K.K. Aggarwal told.
Doctors have welcomed the move saying that though it may mean ‘a little extra work’, but it’s worth the effort if it helps patients. “The move is in the best interest of the patients, but in an environment where any doctor at any given time is flooded with patients, this system may take a little time to get used to. We have already started using the generic names of drugs and this we feel has contributed to reducing the total bill of patients since it allows them to buy drugs that are more economical,” said Dr. Anil Bansal of the Delhi Medical Association.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda had in the Lok Sabha earlier agreed with concerns of some parliamentarians that illegible prescription by doctors may lead to serious implications and even death in certain cases. The Minister had assured them that corrective measures were being brought about.
Mr. Nadda had informed the House that his ministry had approved the amendment to the Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002, providing therein that every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names in legible and capital letters and they should ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs.