The Ministry of Health (MOH) has continued the activities of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week, observed this year under the theme: “Antibiotics: Handle with Care”. The MOH has participated with an awareness booth at Panorama Mall, encompassing a pavilion covering a number of main corners, including Awareness and Education Corner, Laboratories Corner, Consult Doctor Corner (for adults), Consult Doctor Corner (for Kids), Infection Control Corner, and Pharmaceutical Care Conner.
The awareness in the Pharmaceutical Care Conner focused on four themes, the first of which is that antibiotics must be used only under the supervision of a physician, and dispensed from pharmacies only with a physician's prescription, in addition to adherence to the full period of treatment. The second theme is explaining the correct way to prepare the antibiotic syrup, which is in the form of powder, and warning against errors occurring during preparation and storage procedures. The second theme is the necessity of using accurate measuring instruments to measure the dose of antibiotics and how to use them. The fourth and last theme shows the difference between antibiotics that differ in the brand name, but carry the same scientific name, which is considered as an equivalent alternative.
The rate of female visitors to the Pharmaceutical Care Conner amounted to 95%, 59% of whom had been preparing antibiotic syrup from powder erroneously. Hence, the correct ways of preparation, storage and measuring the antibiotic have been clarified to them, to the effect that the ratio of benefiting from the information provided by the said corner was 100%, according to the survey’s findings.