Kolkata, May 5 (IANS): The West Bengal health department's decision to introduce E- prescriptions in all the state-run health utilities in the state from this year is expected to bring about a permanent solution to the teething problem of preserving the patient-data and their case histories.

State health department sources said that the state-run health centers where the E-prescription will be introduced from this year will include all state-run medical colleges & hospitals, district hospitals and primary health centers. "The state government will, in the interim period, arrange for the proper training of the staff concerned associated with these health units to make the system fully operational by July this year," a state health department official said.

Besides addressing the issue of preserving the patient- data and their case histories, he added, the new system of E-prescription will also address the issue of patients and their family members, who often complain that hand-written prescriptions are often so illegible that they are not able to understand anything.

"However, in case of E-prescription there is no question of hand-written doctors- suggested instructions and remedies and hence their contents will be easily understandable for the patients and their family members," the health department official said.

It is learnt that the system of E-prescription will start with the health centers by July this year and slowly the facility will be extended to other health utilities as well. "Already the system has been introduced on a trial basis in certain departments in a couple of state- run hospitals," the state health department official.

The process is expected to be full-operational in all state-run utilities within this calendar year.