Medicine roulette

Self-medication, for ailments better handled by medical professionals, has led to many health issues in Pakistan. It has more to do with ignorance than anything else. Pharmacies often encourage this trend by accepting purchases without the relevant prescriptions. The provincial health departments are either negligent or complicit. There are also some misconceptions about visiting doctors as well; many patients fear that going to doctors would delay treatment as a doctor might require them to undergo tedious and expensive tests for illnesses they believe are minor enough to be treated with self-medication.

Drug misuse is similar to playing Russian roulette against oneself. Besides educating people on the potentially fatal effects of self-medication, there is a need to crack down on the groups involved in it.

Riaz Mahar

Sukkur