Dhaka: The High Court on Monday asked the authorities concerned to issue a circular within 30 days asking the physicians to write prescription clearly.

The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order following a petition filed by a human rights organisation.

The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain why directives should not be given to take effective steps for writing prescription clearly.

Health Secretary, registrar of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, director general of Health Directorate and secretary of Bangladesh Medical Association have been made respondents to the rule which is returnable in four weeks.

Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a petition after attaching a report titled  ‘Undecipherable prescription: patients at risk for taking wrong medicine’ published in a vernacular daily on December 17.

Advocate Manzil Morshed stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Mokhlesur Rahman represented the state.

According to the petition, patients have been suffering a lot for taking wrong medicine as the names of the medicines prescribed by the physicians  could not be read easily.