According to World Health Organisation (WHO), unneces sary and inappropriate medication with antibiotics is amplifying antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Pakistan has a high AMR owing to extensive misuse of antibiotics and this has led to diseases like drug-resistant typhoid fever, which has assumed epidemic threat for last two years. Pakistan ranks third for antibiotics consumption among low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
It is estimated that 35,000 patients per day use antibiotics in Pakistan more than half of rural residents use antibiotics without a prescription and more than 35% of antibiotics are sold by urban pharmacies without a valid prescription. Every Pakistani has easy access to antibiotics that are sold as over-the-counter medications. In this backdrop, the decision of Sindh Government to reform drug business prohibiting OTC sale of antibiotics would go a long way in safeguarding lives of the people against growing threat of AMR. As the problem is not confined to Sindh alone, it is hoped that the Centre and other provincial governments would also take similar measures for the sake of general public.
The Sindh Minister has highlighted the issue of OTC sale of antibiotics but it is known to all that medical stores, manned by untrained personnel, are run like grocery stores selling everything with or without prescription and as a result play havoc with the health of people.
Apart from medical stores, a majority of medical officers are also behaving irresponsibly as they prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily. But all this becomes understandable in a country where superfluous tests are recommended from specific laboratories, healthy kidneys are taken out and caesareans carried out just to mint money. Who will check these and similar other criminalities?
