Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana high court has made legible prescriptions a legal mandate, directing that all medical prescriptions and diagnostic notes whether in govt or private hospitals-must be written legibly, pref-erably in capital letters, or is-sued in typed/digital form.
The HC held that the right of patients to clearly under stand their medical treatment is an Integral part of the Fun damental Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
It has asked the National Med-ical Commission to take steps to introduce and inculcate the importance of legible and clear handwriting in medical prescriptions as a part of the curriculum in all medical col-leges/institutions in India.
Satinder Duggal
