Know why Health Ministry will do away with doctors’ bad handwriting

It’s a bad news for the doctors in the country. The government will soon make it mandatory for doctors to now write in capital letters for fear of misinterpretation due to doctor's illegible handwriting.

According to an ET report, the Union Health Ministry is expected to issue a gazette notification under the Indian MCI Regulations, which will direct all doctors to prescribe medicines in capital letters in a "legible" manner. They will also be directed to mention the generic names of the drugs that are being prescribed.

"The Health Ministry will come out with gazette notification under the MCI regulations. Under this, the prescription should be legible and preferably written in capital letters along with the names of the generic drug prescribed," a senior Union Health Ministry official told PTI in the report.

As per the report, the notification is expected to come out within a week's time by the ministry. .

The Health Ministry officials have noted that legible handwriting in the prescription will help both patients as well as chemists who would have better clarity of the drug. "Like all other MCI regulations, this too will govern the doctors," the official said.