In a recent interview with Channel One TV, Dr. Samuel Kow Donkor, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, educated the public about the misuse of antibiotics and its adverse effects.
The Society has raised concerns about the increasing abuse of antibiotics, which has led to rising resistance to certain drugs, making treatments less effective.
Dr. Donkor emphasized the importance of weighing the effectiveness of existing medications against their risks. He advised the public to avoid self-medicating, particularly for diseases like the common cold and malaria.
“There is a need for us to protect what we have. We must safeguard the antibiotics currently in use because, when an infection occurs, it is antibiotics we will have to rely on for treatment. If these antibiotics are abused, resistance will continue to escalate,” he stated.
“It is crucial that we safeguard our existing antibiotics. If we misuse them, resistance will keep growing, and at some point, these medications may fail when we need them most,” he added.
Dr. Donkor also highlighted that as antibiotic resistance increases, doctors may need to treat infections with a combination of antimicrobial medications, which raises both the cost of treatment and the risk of side effects.
“We now often have to combine two or more antimicrobial medications when certain conditions require it. This not only increases expenses but also the likelihood of adverse reactions. We face exposure to more medications, which can ultimately lead to higher mortality rates, especially when a single antimicrobial drug might have sufficed,” he concluded.
SOURCE: GHANAWEB
