Activities of patent medicine vendors in antimicrobial resistance disturb stakeholders
By Chima Azubuike
The role of patent medicine dealers in curbing antimicrobial resistance in patients has been brought to the fore, with stakeholders urging for more awareness on the dangers inherent in treating without culture sensitivity, prescription.
Speaking on Tuesday, during World Antimicrobial awareness week (WAAW), organised by Infection Prevention and Control /AntiMicrobial Stewardship Committee of the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, the Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Manga, said the theme; ‘Preventing Antimicrobial resistance together’ clearly showed the need for collective efforts.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that Antimicrobials are drugs used in treating infections and it is about the second highest consumed globally after Analgesics. They are categorised into groups namely; antibacterial, antiviral drugs, fungal and anti parasitic with antibiotics as the most popular.
Manga, who doubles as Head of Department of Microbiology department, While briefing journalists on the topic: Antimicrobial resistance and the role of patent medicine vendors in antimicrobial stewardship, said years ago the invention of antibiotics made the treatment of infections easy.
He disclosed that all that may have been eroded with the current challenge of Antimicrobial resistance.
He said, “The celebration didn’t last long before the commencement of antimicrobial resistance by most of the organisms treated and as it is today it is a global menace threatening the world. We will continue to discuss to raise awareness, so that all stakeholders, policy makers, healthcare workers, patient’s relatives, care givers are on the same page with respect to the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”
Manga disclosed that patients action and inaction had contributed actively to antimicrobial resistance, “In the context of misuse, abuse of antimicrobials and failure to abide by simple infection, prevention and control measures. This gives the chance for the infections to keep spreading and makes it difficult to be managed in community and hospital,” Manga added.
Commenting further on the essence of the awareness, the IPC Chairman said there are alot of factors that compounded the issue, one of which is poverty, adding that “The reason we focused on patent medicine vendors is because in our communities we get our drugs through them including antibiotics. While they are trying to help the community, they must understand the harm their action and inaction is going to cause, exposure to antibiotics, either incorrect or sub optimal exposure is going to develop resistance organisms.”
Also speaking during the discussion segment, Executive Secretary Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, noted that equitable access to healthcare would reduce the negative impact of antimicrobial resistance.
On his part, Medical Director State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Mua’zu Ishaq, said the consequences of antimicrobial resistance were enormous and should not be allowed to fester.
Ishaq, said regulating vendors could be challenging since they are faceless, stressing that currently Gombe provides Better Healthcare Provision Fund which caters for poor and vulnerable.
Also, Pharm. Sebastin Zubairu Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, described the activities of patent medicine vendors as a waiting time bomb, while urging government to support the effort of the Council.
He said, “Government must be involved in curbing the damages caused by patent medicine vendors.”
Yarma Adamu, a former Commissioner for Health said preventing antimicrobial resistance is multi dimensional, stressing that there should be supervision to ensure drugs are not given without prescription.
“We prescribe without culture and sensitivity. The pharmaceutical council should look for how to ensure that what is written is the same with the content.
The money collected as revenue should be used to monitor their activities,” Adamu said.
