Expressing anguish over "indecipherable" handwritings of doctors, the Orissa High Court has asked the state government to issue a circular to ensure that they write legible prescriptions, preferably in capital letters.

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The high court observed that such medical records have the propensity to have adverse medico-legal implications. Appropriate steps may also be taken to create awareness among the medical professionals, involved in medico-legal cases, to record their observations and comments in a legible manner," the court said. It is imperative that the entire physician community need to the go extra mile and makes conscious efforts to write prescriptions in good handwriting, it added.

The Justice made these observations while allowing an interim bail for a period of one month to an arrested person earlier this week to be with his ailing wife, who is undergoing treatment at the MKCG Hospital in Berhampur. The court faced difficulties while perusing the medical documents of the petitioners ailing wife submitted in support of his prayer. The high court observed that illegible prescriptions can delay treatment of the patient and lead to life-threatening consequences.

On many occasions, the pharmacists find it difficult to decipher what is written in the prescription. Sometimes, even some physicians fail to read their own handwriting," the Justice observed. Quoting Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Amendment Regulations-2016, he said it mandates that every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names and preferably in capital letters.

Some efforts in this direction have also come from the states such as Maharashtra and Jharkhand in the form of special circulars, it said. Directing the registry to forward a copy of the judgement to the chief secretary, the Justice said the court deems it fit to request the state government to examine the feasibility of issuing appropriate circulars to implement the Medical Council of India (MCI) notification of September 2016 in accordance to the amended regulations with respect to prescription of drugs by doctors.