Kathmandu, April 21

Nepal Medical Council has instructed all doctors and health practitioners to write medical prescriptions in clear handwriting.

NMC registration number, name of patient and medicines prescribed also have to be readable. The council also said it was illegal for a medical specialist of one faculty to prescribe medicine of another faculty.

NMC has also asked pharmacists not to sell medicines when prescription provided by health practitioners is not readable. “Pharmacists should not sell medicines on the basis of assumption. Instead medicines should be sold only when the name, amount and duration of medicines to be taken by patients is legibly specified,” NMC said.

It has further asked health service providers to keep patients’ information for at least five years after medical check-up. It also asked health service providers to refrain from using name of doctors, who no longer work in their organisations, in notice board, brochures and other means of communication, and confuse patients.

NMC warned that if the doctors, health practitioners, health institutions and pharmacies were found involved in any of the above activities, they would be liable for punishment as per the rules and regulations.