Health Ministry Declares Non-Generic Prescriptions ‘Professional Misconduct’

The Union Health Ministry has issued a stern warning that failing to prescribe drugs by their generic names constitutes “professional misconduct.” While the stricter 2023 NMC regulations remain suspended, the Ministry clarified that doctors are still legally bound by the 2002 Ethics Code, which mandates writing generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters.

Violations can now attract disciplinary action from State Medical Councils, including potential warnings or license suspensions.

To enforce this, the National Medical Commission (NMC) directed all medical colleges and institutions in mid-December 2025 to immediately establish Prescription Monitoring Committees.

This renewed crackdown is largely driven by a significant Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling in August 2025, which declared that a legible medical prescription is a fundamental component of a citizen’s “Right to Health” under the Constitution.

The court criticized illegible prescriptions as a safety hazard and directed authorities to ensure strict adherence, prompting the NMC to integrate “legible prescription writing” into the official MBBS curriculum.