By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Fatai Fehintola, a Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, has advised Nigerians to use drugs only when essential and prescribed by a physician.
Fehintola, also a Consultant Physician and Clinical Pharmacologist, gave the advice on Tuesday in Ibadan in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Fehintola said that using drugs only when necessary and prescribed would reduce the cost of healthcare on individuals.
He advised the citizens to visit doctors when suspicious of any ailments, saying that proper diagnosis and prescription were necessary before drug consumption.
“When the cost of drug is too high as we witness today, people may not be able to buy drugs and treat ailments adequately.
“This can impact negatively on their health,” he said.
Fehintola called for health insurance schemes to reduce financial burden on people.
He stressed that health insurance schemes should be made accessible to people because it will make most conditions easier as people might not pay additional fund.
The Consultant Physician also recommended introduction of some subsidy for some disease conditions, medications, where one can pay a little token and the rest would be paid by the government.
"Also, NGOs, philanthropists can also support to engage in some treatments of some specific diseases for people," he said.
Also, Dr Adeyinka Ishola, Director of Pharmaceutical services at University College
Hospital, Ibadan, said that high cost of drugs was inimical to societal development and wealth of a nation.
According to him, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.
“Prevention is better than cure.
“Public health indices should be taken seriously.
“Clean environment, adequate rest, taking a lot of water, regular exercise among other good habits, will prevent diseases as opposed to procurement of cure in drugs,” he said.
The director said that management of diseases could be cumbersome with high cost of drugs.
“Interventions of governments in bringing down costs by incentives for local drugs production could help.
“Local drug production should be encouraged by governments through giving of tax incentives and removal of import duties on pharmaceutical raw materials.
“These will make drugs accessible and available,” Ishola said. (NAN)
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