You will find Chemists in nearly every building in crowded informal settlement areas within Nairobi. Men and women clad in white dust coats can be seen going about their duties behind the shelves – dispensing medicine to customers over the counter....CONTINUE READING
Pharmacies – which are commonly referred to as Chemists – are slowly outnumbering the number of pubs in some of these informal areas like Pipeline, Kayole, Mathare, Dandora, areas around Umoja – but also in middle class neighbourhoods like Donholm and Nasra.
Janet Otieno recalls spending several months and money trying to get rid of a stubborn stomach pain through ‘self-medication’. She had no idea what she was dealing with – neither did the Chemist.
“It happened in 2019 just as I was joining campus. After my first semester in school, I started experiencing pain while going for short call. I decided to visit the nearest chemist because the university dispensary always had a long line,” says Janet.
“The symptoms recurred for several months and it was becoming worse. I had to see a doctor at a hospital for further treatment.
“After several tests, I was diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis. An infection in my right kidney,” she added. All along Janet had been treating the wrong disease.
Another victim –Linda –walked to a chemist to buy drugs to treat what looked like common flu. “I had this cough and I remember my mother advised me to grab some drugs from the chemist to treat the flu.
I used the drugs for a while, but there was no change,” says Linda – who was later admitted to a hospital where she was told she had severe tuberculosis.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO)Self-medication can be defined as the use of drugs to treat self-diagnosed disorders or symptoms, or the intermittent or continued use of a prescribed drug for chronic or recurrent disease or symptoms.
It may include the use of herbs, the retention and re-use of prescription drugs or the direct purchase of unprescribed drugs through the counter.
However, it is accepted that self-medication has an important role in the care of minor illness. In fact, the role of self-care was emphasised by WHO in 1978 in its “Health for all by year 2000” initiative, which was implemented in many countries including Kenya.
In the same initiative, people were advised to seek medication attention whenever the illness persist. Some don’t.
Brigid Wekesa who resides in Pipeline estate said she uses over the counter medicine because of the high cost of medication in major hospitals.
“Healthcare is very expensive and some of us just do simple jobs. I personally don’t have NHIF cover, which means I have to spend from the pocket. That is why I prefer walking to a Chemist where I can buy painkillers or antibiotics,” says Wekesa.
According to Dr. Edwin Duke from Maragua Level 4 Hospital in Murang’a County, self-medication can lead to addiction and delayed treatment.
“Self-medication can worsen health conditions, delay proper treatment, and can lead to potential addiction to certain substances.
“Reliance on self-medication can hinder early detection of serious illnesses. There should be proper public sensitisation on self-medication and the need to see a doctor when feeling unwell,” he said.
Residents from informal settlements are asking the government and other health stakeholders to carry out public sensitization programmes on the dangers of irresponsible self-medication…CONTINUE READING>>
