Jharkhand: Doctors asked to write prescription in capital letters only
In a notification issued on Friday, the Jharkhand government has asked all government and private doctors to write prescriptions in capital letters. All doctors, whether practising in government or private hospitals, were asked to follow the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, that underlines apart from mentioning drugs, the prescription should be written in capitals only; HT reports.
Earlier, MCI issued directive for physicians
In 2016, the Medical Council of India (MCI) issued a directive which asked all physicians to prescribe drugs with generic names in capital letters. "He/she shall ensure there are rational prescription and use of drugs," mentioned the directive. This notification in Jharkhand was issued by Akhauri Shashank Sinha, Deputy Secretary of Health. It comes in the wake of the aforementioned directive of MCI.
What will happen if doctors don't follow the rules?
If a doctor doesn't follow the regulations, he/she will be given a stern warning the first time. If found flouting norms the second time, the registration will be suspended for a certain period of time, and after the third time it will be canceled.
Doctors feel this might increase problems of patients
Notably, doctors have mixed reactions to the directive. Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA) both felt this might increase problems of the patients. Dr AK Singh of IMA said there is already a long queue outside medical centers. "If a doctor writes in capital letters, one prescription would take a minimum of 10-15 minutes," he claimed.
Not possible to write prescriptions in limited time span: Doctor
JHSA General Secretary Dr Bimlesh Kumar Singh said doctors have no problem following the rule but it might hurt patients. He said 800-1,000 patients come to visit them daily. "Medical officers would not be able to write so many prescriptions in capital letters in a limited time span," he insisted. Dr Singh said a delegation should speak to the government about rationalizing the directive.
