Kathmandu, September 23:

Thanks to the lack of awareness among both the consumers and drug sellers few patients follow the rules of medication, which leads to various complications in the long run. “Fifty per cent of the prescribed drugs include antibiotics while very few complete the whole quota of intake, which leads to various complication such as a relapse,” said Radha Raman Prasad, registrar at the Nepal Pharmacy Council. Prasad said that there is no counselling while buying the drugs and the pharmacists mostly concentrate on selling the products, which later raised question mark on the effectiveness of drugs and the doctors who prescribe the drugs. “Most people resort to self-medication indiscriminately whereas they should be aware of the dangers of it,” said Prasad.

“People have a tendency to panic and rush to the medical store and purchase antibiotics for pain, fever and cough,” said Navin Shrestha, president, Graduate Pharmacist’s Association of Nepal (GPAN). “Even if the level of clinical symptoms go down, there is no surety that the infection has been fully cured. But most people stop short of the full course,” said Shrestha.

“There is a great risk of relapse in such cases.” “Also, people have a tendency to stock the medicine and use it much, much later without checking the manufacture or expiry date,” said Shrestha. “Regular unnecessary intake of antibiotics lead to their ineffectiveness which could lead to other problems.”

“In Australia, 41 per cent of the doctors’ prescriptions contain no drugs. In fact, doctors there more often than not prescribe proper diet, rest and precautionary measures.” Shrestha said consumers should seek necessary information regarding the frequency of the drug’s intake, its side-effects and also what other things should be avoided while taking the medicine course. “Some drugs which need to be chewed such as Digene will be ineffective if swallowed. Hence the question of drugs’ quality should be raised or else it will lead to misconceptions.” Shekhar Shrestha, executive member, Nepal Chemists and Druggists Association (NCDA), Bagmati Zonal Unit, said the chemists and druggists are also responsible.

“To check it, NCDA has been organising various trainings to druggists and chemists,” said Shrestha. The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) and NCDA should strengthen monitoring so that patients are not cheated but get the full information. In order to create awareness about the use of drugs and its importance, GPAN is organising a rally tomorrow from Bijuli Bazar to New Baneshwor.