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Monday, November 21, 2005
Health officers seek stiffer rules in anti-TB drugs sale
HEALTH officials in South Cotabato called for the passage of a provincial ordinance that would require all pharmacy and drugstores in the province to enforce the "no prescription, no dispensing" of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug.
Dr. Edgardo Sandig, provincial health officer, said TB drugs are classified as prescription drugs and should never be disposed over the counter without prescription.
"This is very important because the over or under use of TB drugs may worsen TB cases," he told reporters.
Sandig said his office had sent a letter to Provincial Board member Elmo Tolosa, chair of the provincial board's committee on health, for the immediate passage of said measure.
Records showed that in the Philippines, one in every four persons with TB has been resorting to self-medication.
"This is a dangerous practice since it can result to inappropriate and incomplete treatment," Sandig said.
TB drugs, if not dispensed properly, would result to the development of multi-resistant drugs, incomplete drug use, treatment failure and various health complications, he said.
TB has been identified as the eighth leading cause of morbidity and the sixth leading cause of mortality in the province.
In 2004, out of the total 824 persons afflicted with TB, a total of 137 deaths or a rate of 18.11 deaths per 100,000 population was reported by government health statisticians.
According to the World Health Organization, the Philippines is one of the 22 countries all over the world with high TB incidence.
In the Philippines, TB reportedly kills at least 75 people every day.
Sandig said pharmacy and drugstores could help enforce the proposed policy and assist in the dissemination about the appropriate treatment of TB and the availment of Direct Treatment Therapy, Short Course Strategy or DOTS. (Allen V. Estabillo)
(November 21, 2005 issue)
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