High Court Directs Doctors To Write Legible Prescriptions and Reports 

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has mandated the state’s health department to ensure that all healthcare professionals generate easily understandable and legible prescriptions, post-mortem reports, and medico-legal documents. Justice SK Panigrahi issued this directive to the Chief Secretary of the Odisha government, emphasizing its broad dissemination to medical facilities, private clinics, and medical colleges.

This decision by the court was prompted by a petition filed by Rasananda Bhoi of Hindol in Dhenkanal district. Bhoi lost his elder son, Souvagya Ranjan Bhoi, to snakebite. The directive highlights the significance of clear handwriting in prescriptions to improve the readability of medication names.

Expressing concern, the High Court criticized the lax attitude of many doctors in crafting post-mortem reports, stressing that unclear handwriting complicates the understanding of medico-legal documents. This, in turn, creates challenges for the judicial system and the public. The court observed that the prevalent “zig-zag” handwriting style among doctors makes it challenging for both the general public and the judiciary to interpret essential documents.