NEW DELHI — Indian courts have ruled on everything from corruption scandals to cricket disputes. This week, one bench turned its attention to something more ordinary but equally consequential: doctors’ handwriting.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court declared that a “legible medical prescription is a fundamental right” after a judge was confronted with an indecipherable medical report in a criminal case. The court said messy notes were more than an inconvenience — they could be the difference between life and death.
Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri, who issued the order, did not mince words. After reviewing a two-page prescription and medico-legal report written by a government doctor, he wrote that “not even a word or a letter was legible.” He added: “It shook the conscience of this court.”
The case itself had nothing to do with handwriting. It involved allegations of rape, fraud and forgery. But when the judge saw the scrawl produced by the examining doctor, he broadened the scope.
“At a time when technology and computers are easily accessible, it is shocking that government doctors are still writing prescriptions by hand which cannot be read by anybody except perhaps some chemists,” Justice Puri noted.
The ruling sets out strict measures. For now, doctors must write prescriptions in capital letters. The government has been directed to introduce handwriting lessons in medical schools and to digitise prescriptions within two years.
The order touches on a familiar stereotype. Around the world, doctors’ handwriting is often mocked as a mystery only pharmacists can solve. But in India, where overcrowded hospitals and high patient loads are the norm, poor penmanship can have serious consequences.
The Indian Medical Association, which represents more than 330,000 doctors, acknowledged the problem but urged caution.
“It’s a well-known fact that many doctors have poor handwriting, but that’s because most medical practitioners are very busy, especially in overcrowded government hospitals,” said Dr Dilip Bhanushali, the association’s president.
He told the BBC that while many urban doctors already use digital prescriptions, rural clinics and small-town hospitals lag behind. “We have recommended to our members to follow the government guidelines and write prescriptions in bold letters,” he said. “A doctor who sees seven patients a day can do it. But if you see 70 patients a day, you can’t.”
The judgement has sparked debate about whether India’s strained health system can balance patient safety with the crushing realities of its workload. For patients, though, the message is simple: prescriptions should be written clearly — and lives may depend on it.
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