Doctors in Maharashtra should soon begin writing prescriptions in a new format that is easy to read for patients and contains more details than the format used now, says the Medical Council of India. On Wednesday, the MCI is set to instruct the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to make its member doctors follow the new format.
In response to a query by dna on Tuesday, Dr Jayshree Mehta, President, Medical Council of India, said, “In the month of January we issued the new format in which prescriptions should be made out. It is the state medical councils' duty to ensure that doctors use the new format. State councils have to take proper measures to implement it in the state. Now we will instruct the Maharashtra state council to do so.”
As per the MCI directive, it is mandatory for all allopathic doctors to follow the new format that mentions the doctor's full name, his/her qualification, patient's details, name of the generic medicine or its equivalent along with the dosage, strength, dosage form and instructions, name and address of the medical store with pharmacist's name and date of dispensing, and doctor's signature and stamp. This format is more comprehensive than the one currently in use.
In several countries the printed doctor prescription is pushed forward by policy makers as a safer option, as it not only provides clarity but also constitutes a database of medication that the patient has taken over the years.
In India, though, the MCI is finding it hard to implement the new directive. Dr V N Jindal, Member of Executive Committee, MCI, said, “Maharashtra Medical Council is an independent body. We can direct them but can't force them. MMC has to take proper measures to implement our rules in its state.”
MMC is a statutory body having powers to suspend a doctor's license if s/he is found guilty of malpractice. Only those doctors registered with the MMC can practice in Maharashtra. Over 70,000 doctors are registered with the MMC.
“This format is important from the safety point of view for patients and doctors. We have already uploaded this prescription format on our website and informed the major organisations like Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra Branch, about it,” said Dr Kishore Taori, President, MMC.
Taori, however, said that the responsibility for enforcing the new format lay with other government bodies, not the MCI.
“The public health services, civic health department and Food and Drugs Authority have to keep a watch on doctors from the state, and ensure that they use the new format,” he said
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