Indian Court Issues Order for Doctors to Improve Handwriting

Tue Oct 21 2025 16:36:53 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Punjab and Haryana High Court mandates legible handwriting for medical prescriptions, emphasizing its importance for patient safety.

In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court of India has ordered doctors to improve their handwriting, deeming clear medical prescriptions a 'fundamental right'. The court highlighted that illegible writing can lead to devastating consequences for patients. This directive follows a troubling case where unclear medical documents hindered legal proceedings, prompting the court to push for better training and digitization in medical schools. The court's decision is part of a broader conversation about ensuring patient safety in healthcare practices.

At a time when most people use keyboards to write, does handwriting really matter? Yes, say Indian courts, if the writer is a doctor.

Jokes surrounding the notoriously bad handwriting of many doctors, which can only be deciphered by pharmacists, are common in India and around the world. However, a recent order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court emphasized the critical importance of clear handwriting, stating that a legible medical prescription is a fundamental right and may affect life and death decisions.

This ruling stemmed from a case unrelated to the written word, involving serious allegations against a man concerning rape and forgery. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri noted the incomprehensibility of a medico-legal report from a government doctor when considering the man's bail petition. The illegibility of the report left the court astonished.

It shook the conscience of this court, Justice Puri remarked, highlighting the urgency of addressing the issue.

The court's decision mandated that all doctors must write prescriptions clearly in capital letters, while also pushing for the inclusion of handwriting lessons into medical school curricula and establishing a timeline for transitioning to digitized prescriptions.

Dr. Dilip Bhanushali of the Indian Medical Association indicated readiness to assist in solving this issue, acknowledging that while many doctors are adopting digital practices in urban areas, rural settings face unique challenges. He pointed out the difficulty doctors encounter when their patient load exceeds manageable levels, which often results in hurried, illegible handwriting.

Past calls for enhancing prescription clarity have also come from courts in Odisha and Allahabad, focusing on similar issues of decipherability. Studies have highlighted the significant medical errors attributed to poor handwriting, with one report suggesting thousands of deaths in the US are linked to this issue.

As Justice Puri's ruling gains traction, there is hope that it leads to more substantial changes in the healthcare system that reinforce the need for clear communication in clinical practice.