Allahabad HC fines 3 doctors for 'bad handwriting'
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The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on three doctors in separate cases for their bad handwriting while writing the medico-legal reports in criminal cases. The injury reports of the victims issued by hospitals were not readable because of the poor handwriting of the doctors who had issued them.The Judges have extreme difficulties in reading this medical report so judgement was being hampered.Because of poor handwriting, it reprimanded and penalized the Doctors who had authored them. Judges considered poor handwriting an 'obstruction to court work' and summoned Dr TP Jaiswal of Unnao, Dr PK Goel of Sitapur and Dr Ashish Saxena of Gonda and imposed a fine of Rs. 5000/- each on them.
Court further directed Principal Secretary (home), Principal Secretary (medical & health) and Director General (medical & health) of the State to ensure that in the future, medical reports are prepared in Easy Language & Legible Handwriting. Fine amount needs to be deposited at the library of 'Oudh Bar Association’. On failure, the amount will be deducted from the Doctors' salaries. Court also suggested that the reports should be 'computer-typed' rather than handwritten in order to avoid encountering such problems in the future.
A circular was issued by UP Director General (Medical & Health) in 2012 to Doctors, asking them to present Medical Reports in 'readable form.' Judges remarked that the guidelines have been 'ignored with impunity'. However, the Doctors cited a heavy workload as the 'cause and pled' negligence
Doctors are usually in haste while prescribing medicines on prescription both in Government and private hospital opds,beside this putting note in indoor patients most senior doctors and many a times resident or junior doctors write some medicines or investigations or details of patients's examination so cumbersome that most of time Nursing or pharma staff cannot read it and even doctor colleague doesnot understand it.Same way whenever a medicolegal case comes or autopsy or other injury report is being made in emergency than many times doctors write in a way which is mostly illegible.
To overcome this real disease of Doctors,many private hospitals as in USA or UK has compelled doctors to write everything digitally on computers either laptop provided or mobile phones ,even their prescription or indoor diary is a digital note book,it takes away a real diificult hand writing and it preserves too doctors advice or comment in record room for future interction for benefit of patient or for evidance in case of medicolegal case too.
How as a Doctor ,you think regarding such common behaviour of Doctors and what are method of improving it,please write your comments ? Can government do some thing or as a doctor we have to reform ourselves but till today after so amny tears we have not reformed ourselves so does an law is needed ?
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