PRESCRIBERS ATTEND WORKSHOP
PRESCRIBERS ATTEND WORKSHOP JULY 07, 2009
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM, ISD – GAMBAGA
A one day workshop on rational drug prescription for service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS] has ended at Gambaga, capital of the East Mamprusi district of the Northern region.
The workshop, organized by the East Mamprusi health directorate brought together prescribers, midwives and community health officers, staff of the East Mamprusi NHIS and those of the health directorate to discuss issues of mutual concern.
In an address to open the workshop, the East Mamprusi health director Mr. Thomas Sennor noted that it would present a platform for the participants to brainstorm in order to avoid over or under prescription of essential drugs. Over or under prescription either leads to wastage or a compromise in the quality of drugs.
Mr. Sennor emphasized that the NHIS is meant to improve quality health services and also make service delivery financially accessible to all people resident in Ghana. In this vain, the health director said four parties are responsible for ensuring that the NHIS works as planned. These are the service providers whom he said must give satisfactory care to patients, the NHIS itself should be managed judiciously, the patients who should minimize fraud and the government which ought to regulate the operations of the NHIS and provide it with the necessary funding.
A member of the East Mamprusi NHIS claims vetting committee, Chief David Kansuuk told participants that the committee visited all service providers and drew their to attention issues and practices that could run down the scheme. For instance, it realised that antibiotics and antimalaria lonart were heavily prescribed whilst over 70 per cent of all patients who attended a particular health facility were given injections.
The committee also observed that during its rounds that as many as six to seven drugs were prescribed for individual clients at some health facilities which either indicates waste or embezzlement of drugs.
Chief Kansuuk urged all service providers to see the NHIS as a collaborator and assist in sustaining it. He called on all health workers to be reminded that all pharmaceutical preparations have their side effects. Therefore, prescribers should prescribe as few drugs as absolutely necessary.
The Manager of the East Mamprusi NHIS, Mr. Sulemana Elijah Abdulai in a contribution revealed that with the onset of the rains, snake bite cases have become high among clients of the scheme. Sadly however, there is acute shortage of anti-snake venom at some of the health facilities in the district.
Mr. Sulemena thus called on the health authorities to do everything possible to ensure that the ASV, the drug for treating snake bites is made readily available.
The workshop facilitator, Doctor Francis S. Ali who is also the West Mamprusi district director of health in his presentation advised service providers against polypharmacy, irrational use of antibiotics and the use of abbreviations in prescriptions since many of such abbreviations are technical in nature and may cause wrong drugs intake.
Doctor Ali also cautioned providers against the inclusion of prescribed drugs that are not captured in the essential drug list because the NHIS may refuse to honour such claims.
He mentioned drug misinformation, misleading traditional beliefs, patients’ demands and expectation and lack of adequate laboratory equipment as underlying factors that cause irrational drug prescription.
To him, a prescriber must be able to educate a patient on what to eat or not to eat when on particular medications.
BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM, ISD – GAMBAGA
A one day workshop on rational drug prescription for service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS] has ended at Gambaga, capital of the East Mamprusi district of the Northern region.
The workshop, organized by the East Mamprusi health directorate brought together prescribers, midwives and community health officers, staff of the East Mamprusi NHIS and those of the health directorate to discuss issues of mutual concern.
In an address to open the workshop, the East Mamprusi health director Mr. Thomas Sennor noted that it would present a platform for the participants to brainstorm in order to avoid over or under prescription of essential drugs. Over or under prescription either leads to wastage or a compromise in the quality of drugs.
Mr. Sennor emphasized that the NHIS is meant to improve quality health services and also make service delivery financially accessible to all people resident in Ghana. In this vain, the health director said four parties are responsible for ensuring that the NHIS works as planned. These are the service providers whom he said must give satisfactory care to patients, the NHIS itself should be managed judiciously, the patients who should minimize fraud and the government which ought to regulate the operations of the NHIS and provide it with the necessary funding.
A member of the East Mamprusi NHIS claims vetting committee, Chief David Kansuuk told participants that the committee visited all service providers and drew their to attention issues and practices that could run down the scheme. For instance, it realised that antibiotics and antimalaria lonart were heavily prescribed whilst over 70 per cent of all patients who attended a particular health facility were given injections.
The committee also observed that during its rounds that as many as six to seven drugs were prescribed for individual clients at some health facilities which either indicates waste or embezzlement of drugs.
Chief Kansuuk urged all service providers to see the NHIS as a collaborator and assist in sustaining it. He called on all health workers to be reminded that all pharmaceutical preparations have their side effects. Therefore, prescribers should prescribe as few drugs as absolutely necessary.
The Manager of the East Mamprusi NHIS, Mr. Sulemana Elijah Abdulai in a contribution revealed that with the onset of the rains, snake bite cases have become high among clients of the scheme. Sadly however, there is acute shortage of anti-snake venom at some of the health facilities in the district.
Mr. Sulemena thus called on the health authorities to do everything possible to ensure that the ASV, the drug for treating snake bites is made readily available.
The workshop facilitator, Doctor Francis S. Ali who is also the West Mamprusi district director of health in his presentation advised service providers against polypharmacy, irrational use of antibiotics and the use of abbreviations in prescriptions since many of such abbreviations are technical in nature and may cause wrong drugs intake.
Doctor Ali also cautioned providers against the inclusion of prescribed drugs that are not captured in the essential drug list because the NHIS may refuse to honour such claims.
He mentioned drug misinformation, misleading traditional beliefs, patients’ demands and expectation and lack of adequate laboratory equipment as underlying factors that cause irrational drug prescription.
To him, a prescriber must be able to educate a patient on what to eat or not to eat when on particular medications.
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