[e-drug] Re: Advertising and marketing of essential drugs

["Uzodinma A. Adirieje" <afrepton@hotmail.com>]

E-drug: Re: Advertising and marketing of essential drugs 
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Dear Members,

Belinda Assam's report of patients in Buea, Cameroon's South West
Province refers.

It is not only in Buea that this occurs. It abounds in several places
where such services are offered by government agencies. The
problem usually has to do with us, the health personnel who attend
to these patients, our hospital settings and the unfortunately
enduring bureaucracy in government institutions.

Most health care personnel in government establishments do not
attend to patients with respect and a sense of the dignity of the
patient as a human person. Especially if such services are offered
as "free" or "subsidized" or at "cheap rate". They shout at the
patients and are generally rude. At other times, available drugs are
hoarded and dispensed to a selected few until their expiration
periods approach, and it's now time to announce of their
availability. Also, the frequent out-of-stock syndrome in these
hospitals makes the patients not to chose them as their first point
of contact when looking for care, since one is not sure if there
would be any drugs, based on previous experience.

The hospital settings occasionally contribute to these problems in a
very serious way. Division of labour is sometimes carried to
extremes. As an example, on a typical clinic day, patients may be
kept waiting without attention, simply because the person to issue
cards or give injections was yet to come. But these cards and drugs
are available, while other personnel who could offer them refuse to
do so because it is not their duty within that period. Where as in a
private setting, the same health personnel would bridge the gap and
offer that services even when the person officially saddled with the
responsibility was yet to arrive.

It is not a credit to any health facility or its staff/management when
patients fill up the whole place and start roaming around because
the person to attend to them is not around; even when all the
materials needed to attend to them are available, and health
personnel who could help out are also available, but would not help
because it is not their duty-calls for that period. We must begin to
do more, to overcome indolence, rudeness and bureaucracy in
government health facilities. People value their time and personal
dignity more than they value "cheaper" of "free" or "subsidized"
health care services.

Dr. Uzodinma A. Adirieje
Executive Coordinator
Afrihealth Information Projects
P.O. Box 4127, Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria
Phone: 234-1-4803550, Mobile: 234-90-414811
Fax: 234-1-4520333
E-mail: afrepton@hotmail.com
Office/Courier: 32C Adetola Street, Aguda-Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria

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