More than 70 percent of antibiotics prescribed in Kashmir valley are given unnecessarily that breeds resistant bacteria which are killing patients, said Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday in a communiqué.“Doctors prescribe antibiotics to patients when they are not needed,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.He said antibiotics are given for viral infections against which they have no effect. You go to a doctor with cold or flu, you will walk away with a prescription for antibiotics. These drugs find their way in prescriptions for viral diarrhea, sorethroat, ear and sinus discharge.DAK President said every time you have fever, you are given an antibiotic. Every fever is not because of infection and does not require an antibiotic.“With no regulation, you can get antibiotics from chemist shops without a prescription,” he said adding that chemist shops give antibiotics for everything from malaise, fatigue, bodyache to headache. Dr Nisar said inappropriate use of antibiotics has turned hospitals into breeding grounds for deadly bugs that are resistant to all antibiotics.
“Patients are dying of simple infections as no antibiotic works,” he said. Dr Nisar said not only the improper use has helped microbes to evolve into resistant bugs, but patients are needlessly put at risk of serious side effects of antibiotics.He said misuse of antibiotics wipes body’s good bacteria that is contributing to chronic conditions like obesity, asthma and cancer,” he informed.“We are losing precious lives due to misuse of antibiotics – we must stop it,” Dr Nisar said.“Prescription audit, standard treatment protocols and ban on over-the-conter sale of antibiotics will help to save some of these life-saving drugs,” he said.“With no antibiotics cancer chemotherapy, organ transplantation and even simple surgery will become impossible and we will be facing a future where cough or cut can kill once again,” cautioned Dr Nisar. (GNS)