She walked into the pharmacy and reported that she had pain around her private parts, that also felt a little swollen & itchy. She was quickly sold some antibiotics to swallow and antifungals to apply. Ten days later she was seen at the gynaecologist’s office. She was properly examined for the first time & diagnosed a codition that required some surgery because pus had accumulated on those areas she complained about.
This situation is a common scenario. Kenyans get hit-and-miss treatments using over-the-counter medications dispensed without these clients being properly clerked, exanined & investigated & given a correct diagnosis & treatment. They go to pharmacies and get prescriptions. If they go to the lab they will have a test prescribed first before examination.
If the patient was seen by the gynaecologist the first time she got the symptoms, she would have had an accurate diagnosis and the correct treatment the first time, reducing the chances of developing antimicrobial resistance.
Over the counter dispensing without proper examination of clients is a major contribitor of antimicrobial resistance. This practice is now being made worse by insurance companies now claiming to allow their clients to go straight to pharmacies to get ‘medicines’ so as to circumvent seeing the doctor.
The trendy word ‘minor ailments’ is being used to promote irrational use of antibiotics.
As we have often warned ‘poor-medicine-for-poor-Kenyans’ is being promoted by OTC treatment without proper diagnosis. Not seeing a doctor does not save costs in the long run. We predict that this is one practice that will accelerate the development of antimicrobial reaistance and in the near future we’ll teturn to the pre-world war 2 era where diseases that were easy to treat with simple antibiotics will become life threatening again.
Let’s prevent antimicrobial resistance by getting the right diagnosis before taking antimicrobials. When in doubt, see your gynaecologist!
This week the whole world celebrates thr world AMR awareness week. Join Kenya Medical Association in increasing awareness in preventing antimicrobial resistance.