No More Scribbles: India's Court Advocates for Clear Handwriting from Doctors

Wed Oct 22 2025 06:50:21 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

India's Punjab and Haryana High Court mandates legible handwriting in medical prescriptions, emphasizing a patient's right to understanding. This order aims to prevent potentially life-threatening errors caused by doctors' poor handwriting.

In a bold move to tackle the longstanding issue of illegible handwriting in the medical field, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in India has declared that clear medical prescriptions are a fundamental right. This ruling stems from a case where unclear handwriting on a medico-legal report raised concerns over the accuracy and potential implications for patient care. The court is now pressing for physicians to adopt clear writing practices and has even suggested including handwriting lessons in medical training. While advancements in digital prescriptions are occurring in urban areas, many rural doctors still rely on traditional methods, leading to ongoing challenges with legibility.

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 around the notoriously bad handwriting of many doctors that can only be deciphered by pharmacists are common in India and around the world. However, a recent ruling from the Punjab and Haryana High Court emphasizes that a legible medical prescription is a fundamental right, essential for patient safety.

This order arose from a case involving serious allegations, highlighting the importance of clear communication in healthcare. Justice Puri noted that he found a medico-legal report so illegible that it was shocking, prompting the court’s insistence on clarity.

The court is now urging for handwriting lessons to be integrated into medical education and has established a two-year timeline for a shift to digital prescriptions.

While larger cities are adapting to digital methods, rural practitioners often still write by hand, reinforcing the need for readable prescriptions. The Indian Medical Association acknowledges the challenges doctors face in busy environments but supports the push for legible writing.

Other courts in India have similarly criticized poor handwriting, emphasizing that ambiguity in prescriptions can lead to dangerous outcomes. Studies indicate that bad handwriting may contribute to medical errors, underlining the urgency of this issue in the world's most populous country.