S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 21: Failure of the government to implement its circular asking doctors to prescribe medicines in capital letters leaves patients guessing about which medicine has been prescribed to them.
It may be recalled that the circular to prescribe medicines in capital letters to the patients was issued by a political regime in 2019 but till date it has not been implemented.
There are scores of healthcare institutions including sub centers, community health centers, primary health centers, Ayurvedic /Unani/ general hospitals, district hospitals, medical colleges, associated hospitals in Kashmir division, everything has changed, but the prescription language has not been changed yet, locals told Early Times. The Principal Secretary to Government, Health and Medical Education Department had issued a circular vide no: 01-HME of 2019 dated 21-01-2019.
“It seems that the writing on prescription seems illegible, because patients fail to understand what is actually written on it, because all patients do not fall in the same category, but there are people who are well qualified and they want to know what is written on their prescription.
All the heads of healthcare institutions working under the Administrative control of health and medical education department were advised that all the doctors working in various institutions shall inscribe their seal and signature along with their qualification and registration number on all, the circular had stated. According to the circular documents included prescriptions/investigations/referrals to tertiary care institutions/certification of medical bills/medico legal cases and other documents, where their signature is to be assigned. Sources said that many such cases were reported in the past where the doctors and para-medical staff were found responsible for their negligence, but they were never made accountable for their mistakes. Sources said that there is a misunderstanding between patient and an attendant when they said that it was the negligence of a doctor or any other medical staff, adding that a doctor owes certain duties to the patient who consults him for illness and rather we can say that a deficiency in their duty results in negligence.
Doctor is a professional person, who knows and cares about the patients, but sometimes they take the things lightly and with the result patients faces certain kind of difficulties that leads to the negligence of the whole staff, and to avoid that the concerned officials like doctors should write their name with seal and signatures on every document, sources informed. Doctors are next to God, they are very much responsible people, but sometimes patients get confused about the drugs and other clinical tests which they hardly understand, so if they will write in capital letters it will be beneficial for patients as well as health officials.
|
