Don’t misuse medicines, especially antibiotics, says health minister

Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam says not all sicknesses require medicines to be treated, particularly antibiotics, which can slow down the healing process. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, September 19, 2015

The health minister has advised the public to take only medicines prescribed by qualified medical practitioners and only when necessary to avoid side-effects.

Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said not all sicknesses required medicines, particularly antibiotics, which could slow down the healing process.

"There are people who love to take medicines even when they are unnecessary. Take antibiotics, for example. Taking it too often result in antibiotic resistence.

"Antibiotics misuse can lead to the situation where bacteria are no longer sensitive to the medicine, and the patient needs stronger antibiotics, which can disrupt the body's immune system," he said in Shah Alam, Selangor, today.

He said medical practitioners should also refrain from prescribing antibiotics unless necessary.

Earlier, Dr Subramaniam launched the National Pharmacy Fiesta 2015, a programme to enhance public knowledge of the types of medicines available in the market and how they should be taken.

He said there were 24,462 types of medicines registered and advised the people to consult the healthcare authorities before buying medicines that had not been prescribed.

In the meantime, the minister advised medical practitioners not to prescribe medicines to patients for a long period of time to avoid wastage.

"The government has spent RM1.5 billion on the purchase of medications for the people and if there is wastage, it will be a huge loss," he said. – Bernama