Doctors must write their prescriptions clearly: HC

The High Court yesterday ordered the government to issue a circular in 30 days asking doctors to write prescriptions clearly so that the names of the medicine can be understood easily.

The health secretary and registrar of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) have been asked to issue the circular instructing doctors to write the names of medicine in block letters or provide them a printed copy.

In response to a writ petition, the HC ordered the two officials to submit a report before it in six weeks after complying with the directive.

The HC also issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to take effective steps to issue prescription for patients in capital letters or offer them a printed copy and to mention the generic names of the medicine in the prescriptions.

The health secretary, the director general of the department of health services, the BMDC registrar and the director general of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection have been made respondents to the rule, petitioner's lawyer Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman came up with the order and the rule following the writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The organisation submitted the petition to the HC on January 2 following a report published in the daily Bonik Barta on December 17 last year. The report stated that patients were at risk of taking wrong medicine due to unclear handwriting of doctors.

During hearing on the petition yesterday, Manzill told the court that many doctors write the names of medicine in such a manner that patients and pharmacy staff cannot understand those properly.

Sometimes pharmacy staff mistakenly sell wrong medicine, he said.

Manzill prayed to the HC to pass necessary orders on the authorities concerned to solve the problem.