Dehradun: The patients in Uttarakhand may soon be relieved of painstaking exercise of reading the names of medicines in illegible handwriting by the doctors. Nainital High Court has asked government to provide computers and printers to medical professionals so that they can give printed and readable prescriptions to the patients.

While hearing a review application against the court's order issued last month that asked doctors to suggest generic medicines, the division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari on Friday ordered that in the larger public interest, the doctors should give printed prescriptions.

“Doctors throughout the state in government sector, public sector and private clinic establishments to give computer generated prescriptions and medical reports in order to enable the ordinary patients and their attendants to understand the same forthwith” the court said in its order.

For government doctors, the division bench asked the state government to ensure that doctors get computers and printers. However, no specific time frame has been suggested to implement the order. The division bench asked government to provide necessary infrastructure in “reasonable" time span.

The court also dismissed the review application filed by a doctor challenging earlier order asking doctors not to push for a particular pharma brand and rather prescribe generic medicines.