The Dhaka Times Desk It is said that due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the country, the health risks of the human body are gradually pushing towards a critical situation.
It is known that in the recent times, the sick competition of marketing thousands of brands of drugs including high-dose antibiotics has started in the country's market. In any developed country in the developed world, the sale of any medicine other than those listed over the counter (OTC) is completely prohibited without a doctor's prescription, but as the saying goes, from the grocery stores in the neighborhoods of this country to the haat bazaars in the villages, thousands of pharmacies have grown like frog umbrellas. Kinds of drugs are being sold freely. According to health experts, the indiscriminate misuse of antibiotics to treat almost all types of ailments ranging from common cold, fever, sneeze and cough to intensive care units (ICU) is on the rise. As a result, the immunity of the human body is decreasing. There are various types of symptoms. From which a time is taking a serious shape.
Experts said that even though the health risks of a large number of people in the country have increased, the Department of Drug Administration, which is responsible for the overall responsibility of taking care of the drug market, is not concerned about these issues. They have been evading responsibility year after year due to shortage of required manpower. There have been questions about the quality and price of the drugs being sold in the market for a long time. No large-scale study has ever been conducted in the country to assess the health risks associated with drug abuse.
With the inaction of the Department of Drug Administration, sales representatives of more than 250 licensed pharmaceutical companies are doing reckless and aggressive marketing across the country. Complaints against almost all of them - from renowned professors in big and small hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers across the country to ordinary medical officers, quack doctors, sales representatives in neighborhood and village Hatbazar pharmacies unethically give various gifts to sell drugs produced by their respective companies. persuading for Allegedly, the sales representatives are giving cash, expensive mobile phones, refrigerators, air-conditioners, air tickets for participation in seminars-symposiums abroad, expenses for local seminars-symposium programs, picnics, travel expenses to different tourist centers of the country to doctors or individuals on monthly or annual contracts. Influence the prescription and sale of drugs. It has also been seen that these sales representatives of drug companies are entering the doctor's chamber after leaving a patient who had taken the serial a month ago.
It is known that because there are no rules or restrictions on the sale of antibiotics, people can buy them 'over the counter' without a doctor's prescription, just like potatoes and groceries. As a result, many antibiotics (ampicillin, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and even azithromycin) do not work as well as before. Diarrhea, Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Gastroenteritis, Influenza, HIV AIDS etc. are delayed in curing various diseases. Medical expenses are increasing.
Not only that, no protocol is followed in the use of antibiotics in public and private hospitals. Although hospitals in other countries around the world have specific guidelines about when to use antibiotics for certain diseases, Bangladesh does not have them. Because operating theaters are not infection-free, patients have to take antibiotics to dry the wound. The drugs that are given are not tested for sensitivity. Overall there are no protocols/policies or guidelines, creating alarming health risks.
Director of Health Department (Communicable Disease Control) Professor Dr. Be-Nazir Ahmed said, to prevent the unnecessary and unreasonable use of antibiotic drugs, the work of preparing the list of OTC drugs will be started very soon under the initiative of the Department of Health. If this list is made, at least people will know which medicines are safe. Apart from this, he commented that the top officials of the department are strongly thinking about whether a list of drug use can be prepared in various health care institutions (Upzilla Health Complex, District Headquarters Hospital, Medical College Hospital and Specialized Hospital) on the advice of experts.
At present, more than 250 allopathic medicine manufacturing companies are producing and marketing more than 1500 generic names of 22000 brand medicines. The Department of Drug Administration does not have any guidelines regarding how many drugs will be sold OTC among such a large number of drugs. On May 10, the workshop titled 'Formulation of Strategy to Antimicrobial Resistance' organized by the Infectious Disease Control Branch of the Department of Health expressed concern about the dire situation of drug resistance due to unnecessary and unrestrained consumption of antibiotics.
Director General of the Department of Health Professor Dr. Khandaker Md. Shifayet Ullah said that the current condition of the drug market is so bad that as soon as small markets or bazaars are built in any part of the country, multiple pharmacy shops are built there. The amateurs who do not have the slightest idea about the use of drugs sell all kinds of drugs including antibiotics by pretending to be doctors. He mentioned that it is the need of the hour to control the free sale of medicines to improve the overall health care of the people of the country.
Professor of Pharmacology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Md. Saidur Rahman said that the indiscriminate use of other drugs only harms the patient himself, but due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, resistant bacteria are being born, which are spreading to other people through soil and air. A large number of doctors (specialists/specialists) in the country are prescribing unnecessary antibiotics. Garpada recommends taking antibiotics regardless of the patient's age and weight. In that case, many times they give high power antibiotics instead of low power. Many doctors are substituting the wrong antibiotic for a suspected illness. It does not tell how many hours the medicine should be taken. As a result, the patient is taking antibiotics correctly; But not eating in time, quantity and proportion. As a result, the antibiotic is not working properly in the patient's body. Many times medicines become resistant to bacteria due to mistakes.
From July to December 2009, a study conducted by the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology of Dhaka University and Nottingham University in London showed that antibiotics are not being used properly in the district headquarters hospital. It can be seen there, 40 percent resistant bacteria are being born in the widely used azithromycin. As a result, the medicine is not working properly. Random use of ciprofloxacin used in E. coli diarrhea does not work in 80% of cases. Instead, higher doses of Libofloxacin are used to treat the disease. But earlier these diseases were easily cured with amoxicillin and ampicillin. In 2007, a study by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology of BSMMU showed that about 10 percent of the blood tests and 8 percent of the urine tests showed the existence of bacteria in the body of the patients.
Speaking with this reporter, President of the Health Rights Movement National Committee, Professor Dr. Rashid-e-Mahbub said, the fear of health risks is increasing due to the sale of over the counter antibiotics. He said, orientation of doctors in this regard, introduction of protocol in hospital for antibiotic use, creation of infection-free environment in OTs and sensitivity test before any antibiotic use is the need of the hour.
The issues have made the conscious people of the country think. We believe that the relevant department of the government will take necessary measures in this regard. Source: Dainik Yugantar.
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