DAVAO CITY (PIA) — The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has cautioned the public against the rampant practice of prescription-sharing and self-medication, following the increasing cases of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which is a global concern.
El Aye Sibal, a clinical pharmacist from SPMC, told the media during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on December 11 that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) currently consider AMR to be one of the top 10 global health crises.
“This is currently called the silent pandemic. There are data that show that by the year 2050, antimicrobial resistance can surpass the death rates of cancer and diabetes,” Sibal disclosed.
She emphasized that the primary driver of AMR is the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs.
In the Philippines, sharing prescriptions, self-medication, and taking medicines without proper medical consultations and appropriate prescriptions significantly contribute to the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
“Ang nagyayari, lalo na dito sa Philippines, masyado tayong naniniwala sa sinabi ng kapitbahay, ito yung dapat inumin kasi nangyari din yan sa kanya,” she cited.
“Pero ang nagyayari, pag hindi nagpapachek-up sa doctor, baka yung sakit nya is different dun sa sakit ng kapitbahay. So, ang nagyayari ibinibigay yung maling gamot para sa maling sakit (What happens is that if one doesn’t consult a doctor, their illness might be
El Aye Sibal, a clinical pharmacist from SPMC, urged the public to seek medical consultation s whenever sick to get proper prescriptions, avoid sharing medications, and never self-medicate to prevent developing antimicrobial resistance.
different from the illness of their neighbor. So they end up taking the wrong medicine for the wrong illness),” she added.
This act alone—exposing the disease-causing pathogen to the wrong drug—makes the pathogen develop resistance to any drug, especially the one that is intended to eradicate it or control it, Sibal explained.
She pointed out that AMR happens when disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites develop mechanisms to either adopt or defeat the drugs, such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, that are originally designed to eliminate them or curb their spread in the human body as a result of their exposure to the wrong drugs.
“Kaya kung expose tayo ng expose sa mga antibiotic, antiviral, o ano pa mang antimicrobial dyan, binibigyan natin sila (pathogens) na maging drug-resistant or tumutulong tayo doon sa antimicrobial resistance [If we keep exposing them to antibiotics, antivirals, or any other antimicrobials, we are giving them (pathogens) the opportunity to become drug-resistant or contributing to antimicrobial resistance],” she added.
Antimicrobial Awareness Week in the Philippines is celebrated every November 18 to 24 of each year to strengthen public awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance, which is currently considered a global public health concern.
Sibal advised the public, especially nowadays that flu is widespread, to consult appropriate medical professionals to get the correct and proper prescriptions.
“Kaya ang advice namin always is iwasan natin ‘yung prescription sharing. Huwag tayong mag-share ng reseta, kasi experience lang ‘yun ng kapitbahay natin. At saka ang hilig natin mag-self medicate. ‘Di ba pag may trangkaso tayo, okay, bili tayo ng ganito at ganyang gamot? [Our frequent advice is to avoid prescription sharing. Let’s not share prescriptions based solely on our neighbors’ experiences. Also, we tend to self-medicate a lot. When we have the flu, for example, we tend to buy this and that medication, right?),” she said.
Also, she encouraged the public to comply with the strict rules regarding acquiring drugs in pharmacies, emphasizing the DOH’s strict implementation of the “no prescription, no dispensing” policy in all pharmacies.
“Kaya pag bumili tayo ng mga antimicrobial sa pharmacy, huwag tayong
magagalit kung hindi tayo binigyan ng mga pharmacists because alam nila na dapat may intended regimen yung mga antibiotics,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Sibal said pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI), and sepsis are among the top infections associated with AMR in the country.
Currently, she said that they are on the lookout for some of the reportable AMR pathogens in the country that are of high concern in the health sector, such as A. baumannii, Klebsiella, and Pseudomona, as identified at the DOH Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Reference Laboratory in Manila. (ASO edited by CLC/ PIA XI)
