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By Samuel Torlumun
His message was timely, coming at the time Nigeria and entire global healthcare community is facing medication safety challenge arising from medication error.
Joining the international community to celebrate World Patient Safety Day, at the weekend in Abuja, Stephen Abah, a Professor of Community Medicine, and a consultant to the Federal Ministry of Health on Patient Safety is elated that campaign to safe the patients against medication harm is being domesticated in Nigeria.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Federal University of Health Science Otukpo who participated in the awareness procession in Abuja told Apex News Exclusive how the global event is important to Nigeria.
He noted that over time, the patients have gone through a lot of harm resulting to death and disabilities caused by medication meant to cure due to lack of proper awareness.
“Patient Safety is a very serious problem in Nigeria. People take medications without knowing what they are taking. People take medication without knowing the dose they should take. People walk across and buy over the counter drugs medication; drugs and just take, just because somebody tells them to do so.
“So for us, we want to educate the people that they have the right to know what they are taking. They should ask; what am I taking? Why am I taking it? When should I take it? What harm does the medication does? And if harm occur, what can I do to help it? This is what we are joining the global community to communicate”. he explained.
Prof. Abah further stated that this has become imperative and urgent to save the patient for from the disastrous future it is posing for the healthcare, the patient and the health community, locally and internationally.
“The message is that, people don’t have to die from taking medication that they have to take to get well.
“When you look at the statistics, so many people have died not from the primary illness, but from the medication that they have taken. So, as we celebrate this year’s World Patient Safety Day, the underlie message to all is that, before you take any medication ask questions”. He expatiated. To make the awareness campaign advocacy more robust, Prof. Abah hinted that there is a need for a policy that will guide the public, government and the law that will be in place. He said the Federal Ministry of Health through the directorate of medical services is already leading the action. “The Ministry has brought together team of experts, Nigerians. And what we are trying to do is to come together and fashion a policy on patient safety that is not just Nigerian’s, but broad of global best practices, that the country will benefit from” he said.
