The Punjab and Haryana High Court has mandated that all medical prescriptions and diagnostic notes, whether in government or private hospitals, must be written legibly, preferably in capital letters, or issued in typed/digital form. The court observed that the right of patients to clearly understand their medical treatment is an integral part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The directive emphasizes that “the right to know the medical status of a human being is inseparably linked with the right to life,” noting that ambiguity caused by illegible handwriting can endanger lives.
To implement this, the court has requested the National Medical Commission (NMC) to incorporate the importance of legible handwriting in prescriptions into the curriculum of all medical colleges and institutions across India. The states of Punjab, Haryana, UT Chandigarh, and…
