The Doctor of Pharmacy Association (Kerala), in collaboration with the Kerala State Pharmacy Council, has launched a Drug Information Centre that will give individualised drug information to the public and health-care professionals.
The service will be available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. as clinical pharmacists from different parts of the State will be available to resolve issues of people. There is also an emergency number: 9842875996.
Pharmacists believe that lack of proper understanding in medications leads to many drug-related problems, which are mostly under-reported. Many health-care professionals too face this problem, according to the association.
A social media message by a medical professional regarding the intake of hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic medicine against COVID-19 was an indication of the misinformation prevalent among medical professionals.
With high numbers of patients with co-morbidities, there was a need for knowledge in medication regimen. While the dosage was fixed by the doctor, it had to be in relation to various other drugs they were usually taking. The best time to take a drug, what the drug was intended to do in the body what to do when one missed a medicine, and the foods to be avoided in case certain drugs were taken needed to be considered.
“If taken as prescribed by a doctor, it is medicine, otherwise it is toxin,” said Nobil Skaria, general secretary of the association. “A urologist prescribes medicines to a patient who had kidney stone. However, non-compliance to the medicines makes the patient turn to another physician, an alternative medicine consultant. With both kinds of medicines affecting the body, the patient ends up with kidney injury, added Dr. Skaria.
Patients required lifestyle modification and medication counselling as part of the consultations, he said.
