HC Directs Odisha Doctors: Write Prescriptions Clearly in Capital Letters
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has asked doctors in the state to write post-mortem reports, prescriptions, and medico-legal reports in capital letters or legible handwriting or typed form so as to avoid ambiguity and confusion.
This decision has come following a recent direction of the High Court of Orissa. The HC had recently observed that in many cases the casual approach of most of the doctors while writing post-mortem reports is affecting the comprehension of medico-legal documents badly and the judicial system finds it very difficult to read those letters and come to a definite conclusion.
“As per the HC directions, the doctors of Odisha are instructed to write post-mortem report, prescription and medico legal reports in capital letters or legible handwriting or typed form only so that their handwriting doesn't create any confusion,” the state health and family welfare department tweeted in official X handle (formerly called Twitter).
“The tendency of writing such zigzag handwriting, which cannot be read by any common man or judicial officers, has become a fashion among the doctors of the state. A substantial number of doctors in the state resort to such handwriting which cannot be read by any ordinary person,” the Court observed while directing the Chief Secretary (CS) to issue circulars to all the medical centers, private clinics and medical colleges.
The state government, in a notification issued on Thursday, directed all registered medical practitioners, medical officers, peripheral health care facilities, medical college hospitals, private clinics, and private medical colleges to write prescriptions in proper legible handwriting or in typed form.
“The medico-legal reports and post-mortem reports are to be written either in capital or in a typed form or in good legible handwriting to ensure appreciation of evidence in the juridical system and to be uploaded in Medico Legal Opinion System (MLOS) of the state police,” read the notification.
