SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL, DELHI
The Odisha High Court on August 13, 2020, advised doctors to write legible prescriptions preferably in capital letters and directed the government to issue a circular in this regard. Rather it should be made mandatory nationwide for the new-age medical practitioners to issue prescriptions directly through a computer after storing medical history of patients in their computers. Many medical practitioners, especially in the lower-income localities give their own (prepared by them) medicinal syrups and powder-capsules to patients without letting them know about the medicines. In the Emergency era of 1975-1977, such unhealthy practice was effectively checked by asking all the medical practitioners to compulsorily maintain a record of each patient visiting them and also directing the medical practitioners to compulsorily give a copy of prescription of the prescribed medicines even though the medicines were provided to the patients by them. Medical discipline should be restored in larger public interest. However, old-aged practitioners, not aware of the computer technology, may be exempted from the compulsory issue of computerised medical prescriptions. The system will enable the medical practitioners to send medical alerts like say about banned medicines through e-mail to their regular patients. It should also be made mandatory for all pathological laboratories throughout the country to assign a customer number to everyone approaching the labs for medical tests. Personal data record including contact details and all other available information, if any, like blood group, medical insurance, treating physician, surgeon etc of customers should also then be registered in the computer database. The system will enable the pathological laboratories to maintain the past medical history of patients on computers. The system will add to regular clientele of the pathological laboratories, which can offer membership discounts to their regular customers.
