Dr. Felix AnyahM
More patients have built resistance to most of the common antibiotics, according to a study conducted in the absence of active surveillance of microbial resistance in the country.
The study showed that the patients were resistant to about 60 per cent of antibiotics that are given to patients under primary healthcare.
Clinical pharmacologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr. Ofori Adjei, who gave more details about the extent of antibiotic resistance, said a point study conducted at the medical block of KBTH in 2016, for instance, showed that out of 71 patients at the block, 78.9 per cent were on antibiotics.
Dr. Adjei said 85 per cent of those on antibiotics had a documented reason while 58 per cent out of that number has samples taken before administering the antibiotics.
He further indicated that the research showed that about 50 per cent of organisms were sensitive to antibiotics prescribed.
Dr. Adjei, who is also the head of Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at KBTH, made these revelations during a business dinner organised by Jannsen Ghana, a pharmaceutical company.
In order to fight AMR, he suggested the need to commit more funds to support research and development of indigenous antibiotics, enhance infection control and prevent at health facilities and full implementation of AMR policies that had been developed by previous government.
He, however, warned health professionals against over-reliance on antibiotics as the first port of call in treating patients who show signs and symptoms of fever.
“We recommend health professionals to prescribe antibiotics only when it is required. It is not every fever which is an infection that needs antibiotics medication.
I find it interesting that simple dress wound we give a shot of ceftriazone and I don’t know why. It is as if it’s de facto in our standard operating procedure that the moment a patient is wheeled through our emergency room, whether the patient needs a drip or not we will give the patient a drip,” he stated.
The frequent use of antibiotics is known to lead to a condition known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which leads to death in patients, prolonged illness, use of more expensive drugs and prolonged hospital stay.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), anti-microbial resistance is said to occur when micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that render the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective.
Other common causes of AMR include poor sanitation and hygiene, overuse of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming, poor infection control in hospitals and also failure of patients to complete their medication.
Founder of the Holy Trinity Medical Centre, Dr. Felix Anyah, called for strong policies that would regulate the use of antibiotics in order to prevent people from self-medicating and abusing antibiotics.
“It’s so sad to see people go to the hospital and the medicine that they are using no longer works and unfortunately they die,” he said.
By Issah MohammedP