Generic step: Doctors to prescribe in capital letters
Health ministry issues order to be implemented from August itself
By : kaniza garari
Update: 2014-08-10 02:27 GMT
Hyderabad:Doctors have to now issue prescription only in capital letters, from August 2014, according to a recent order by the ministry of health and family welfare. The prescription in cursive writing was leading to a lot of miscommunication between the physician and pharmacist and there were constant arguments when wrong medicines were issued.
Dr Ravinder Reddy of Andhra Pradesh Medical Council explained, “Due to this problem many doctors would prescribe medicines and then and re-check with the patients whether they have taken the right medicine. This order should now help to do away with this practise. We have already issued orders that all prescriptions must now be in capital letters.”
Telangana Pharmacist Association who had carried out this movement, since last four years, are happy that the government has finally issued orders and made it mandatory for all doctors.TPA secretary, Mr P. Chilukuri, explained, “The order will now put this practise of re-checking with the doctors to an end. When written in capital letters it is very easy to pick and give the right medicine.
Even the patient can read the prescription of the doctor and the margin of error is completely reduced.” Posters and banners are also being put up in chemists’ shops to let the patients know that they have to bring the prescription from the doctors in capital letters only.