Groups raise alarm over non-compliance with drug usage techniques

The National Malaria Elimination Programme, (NMEP), on Wednesday warned Nigerians to desist from procuring un-prescribed drugs in the process of curing illness stressing that “not all fever are malaria”.

The  Deputy Director of the agency, Mr Aro Modiu Aliu, stated this during a training session organised by the proprietor patient in collaboration with the National Pharmaceutical Association monitoring team which was held in Ilorin the Kwara State capital. Read also:You want to burn fat belly? (SEE TIPS)

He noted that curbing purchase of drugs without being diagnose will assist in preventing unnecessary waste of resources adding that that “constant use of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits before pharmacists or patient medicine vendors prescribe drugs is essential.

“It will avoid continuous unnecessary drug use which can lead to patient’s body building tolerance to the Malaria drugs. We shall continue to train and give adequate orientation to specific pharmacies and patent medicine stores in five local government which areas; Asa, Ilorin-East, Ilorin-South, Moro, Offa within three days on the use of RDT which diagnose malaria within 15 minutes Read also: Supreme Court sacks Reps, Hembe with no specialize professional training required.”

Also speaking, the Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), in the state Pharm. Babatunde Sam, disclosed that the programme was designed from the national level of the group, maintaining that there is working synergy among all stakeholders in the medicine vending profession as the closeness to the grass-root.

“Health givers shouldn’t assume everybody coming to them with fever is having malaria but should insist on counselling the patient(s) to undertake RDT, by so doing,many things would be achieved including resistant to malaria drugs”. Read also: Kwara gets new Head of Service