Medical expert advocates criminalisation of ‘self-medication’
A medical expert, Dr Nuhu Sule, has recommended that specific punishment be outlined for persons who indulge in self-medication.
Sule, who made the recommendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday, said such measure was desirable considering the devastating effect of self-medication
He observed that more people had imbibed the habit of taking medicines without subjecting themselves to proper diagnosis, hence the need for a law that would stipulate punishment to serve as deterrence.
“Self-medication is the practice of an individual using available medications or substances to treat self diagnosed symptoms or conditions.
“In general, the practice of self-medication applies to any ailment or condition that a person may treat without the help of a healthcare professional.
” Potential risks of self-medicating in serious health conditions include incorrect self-diagnosis, increased risk of drug or supplement interactions, incorrect choice of therapy, as well as risk of dependence and abuse,” he said.
Sule, who is a Physician with Kaduna State Ministry of Health, noted that people seemed to consider self-medication as a ‘short-cut’ to treatment.
According to him, such gamble can result in high cost of intervention should matters degenerate.
He therefore advised people to shun the practice to avoid any adverse effect on their health.(NAN)
