The worrisome trend of self-medication.
With the improving literacy level and general awareness over a period of time, the trend of self-medication in our country has increased tremendously and continues to rise at an alarming pace. Self-medication is a tendency wherein a person decides to diagnose and consume medicines for his or her medical conditions by using information available from surrounding sources such as family members, friends, and relatives. In this regard, the easy availability of social media has added fuel to the fire, as there are advertisements of medicines, including health supplements, and their uses in different medical circulating in abundance. Such advertisements and podcasts encourage people towards self-medication.
The tendency of self medication is a dangerous trend in our country. The major contributory factor behind this steeply rising trend is the attempt to avoid visiting a qualified medical doctor in order to save consultation fees and time. There is no denying the fact that our health sector is largely dependent on the private sector, and in the private sector, most doctors or hospitals charge hefty consultation fees, thus forcing people to opt for self-medication. Lab tests are also normally expensive and, at times, avoidable. If doctors or hospitals in the private sector start charging reasonable consultation fees and avoid unnecessary lab tests, the steeply rising dangerous trend of self-medication, which is a severe health liability, can be minimized.
In addition, medical store or chemist shop operators need to be instructed by the competent authorities to sell medicines only on production of proper medical prescription slips. Further, it is also common knowledge that medical store or chemist shop owners or operators often diagnose diseases and advise medication, which is also a dangerous trend, as they are not qualified medical professionals to diagnose and prescribe medicines. This trend must also be termed as self-medication and requires the urgent attention of authorities and remedial measures.
The majority of people do not consider the dangers involved in consuming medicines based on their own decisions. Most of the time, self-medication does not cure the disease; rather, it exacerbates the medical condition of a sick person, leading to a situation beyond remedies, thus causing untimely deaths, permanent disabilities, or medical complications in the body. A worrisome part of self-medication is that, in our country, most medicines can be conveniently procured from medical stores or chemist shops over the counter.
There is an urgent need to eradicate the trend of self-medication in the larger interest of the overall health of our people. All health-conscious and well=informed citizens, including health professionals, should come forward to educate people on the dangers involved in self-medication. In addition, the quality and quantity of health services in the public sector require radical improvements.
Doctors and hospitals in the private sector need to keep their consultation fees at a reasonable level and avoid unnecessary lab tests so that people do not consider consulting a doctor a heavy financial burden on their pockets, thereby minimizing the scope of self-medication.
Last but not the least, the Union Health Ministry should take suitable steps to curb the advertisements of medicines and dietary supplements on social media.
