Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of KATH speaking at the Rational Use of Drugs Workshop in Kumasi.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah has urged medical officers including pharmacists to prescribe and administer pain killers popularly referred to as opioids with caution.
According to him, in their bid to help patients deal with pain there is a temptation to prescribe medications that could jeopardise the state and health conditions of patients.
Speaking at the opening ceremony a two day workshop on the rational use of drugs in Kumasi, Prof said the “rational use of drugs is of paramount importance in any health care setting as it is a proven indicator of the quality of clinical services rendered by health facilities”.
The CEO notet that the workshop, aimed at sensitising the hospital’s core health care professionals involved in the prescription, dispensing and administration of medications on the contemporary practices in the rational use of medicines was a welcome enterprise.
Details:
The KATH CEO disclosed that pain is one of the most common medical complaints on earth if not the commonest.
He noted that it is a condition that can adversely impact on the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of sufferers resulting in a number of debilitations including sleeplessness, immobility, poor appetite and general reduction in the quality of life.
“It is significant to note that opioids have emerged as one of the most effective remedies in pain management resulting in their widespread use as they bring considerable relief to sufferers”, the CEO intimated.
However, he said many chronic sufferers do not have access to effective pain management for a variety of reasons, including limited access, restrictions, personal and cultural biases and misconceptions about the use of opioids.
Additional Information:
The widespread use of opioids in contemporary pain management practices, the CEO stated has become one of the most complex and globally challenging topics in medical care.
Professor Addai-Mensah said as health workers, daily experiences in the use of opioids for pain management has not only brought to the fore the critical role they play in alleviating unbearable suffering among patients but the distinct challenges that come with them.
These challenges, he stressed include clinical access issues, regulatory pressures and, currently, the disturbing rise in the incidence of their misuse and abuse even among healthcare professionals.
“Opioid misuse within the healthcare sector poses health risks”, the CEO intimated.
Food Drugs Authority (FDA):
On her part, Madam Olivia Agyekumwaah Boateng, a Director at the Food And Drugs Authority (FDA) asked medical practitioners to take interest in opioids prescribed by pharmacists to their patients.
She noted that currently, the International Narcotics Control Authority having realised the wanton use of opioids by some unscrupulous people has worked on regulating the supply of same to nations across the world.
“The FDA has also intensified monitoring across health facilities in the country to ensure the strict adherence to standards in prescription and administration of opioids”, the FDA Director intimated.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/ Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi.
