Substandard medicines, improper treatment harmful, say experts

Not only  do substandard medicines harm patients but they also fail to deliver the desired results.
Image used for representational purpose only
Image used for representational purpose only

KOCHI:  Not only do substandard medicines harm patients but they also fail to deliver the desired results. According to an official of the Officer of Drug Controller, Ernakulam, this happens when the medicines are manufactured without adhering to the criteria prescribed by the government labs. “Most of the time, the proportion of ingredients used in the medicines by illegal manufacturers is skewed.

Some ingredients might be in much greater quantity than the required level,” he said. This, according to Dr Sreeja Sukeshan, Superintendent, Government Ayurveda Medical College, Tripunithura, severely affects the treatment regime. According to her, it is very difficult not only for a layman but also for well-trained ayurveda practitioners to identify substandard drugs.

“The use of such substandard medicines and also improper treatment methods have landed patients in bigger trouble,” said Dr Sreeja. “Take for example the special offers that get advertised right before the onset of monsoon, she added. “Like the treatment regime prescribed for allopathic medicine, ayurveda too has a method based on the patient’s physiology. Every person has a different body and in Ayurveda, treatment regimes are designed accordingly.”

For example, she said, it would be extremely wrong to include ‘kizhi’ in the treatment regime of an obese person. “The massage prescribed for such a person involves using medicinal powders. There have been instances when ‘kizhi’ that has been wrongly administered caused cerebral damage in many patients,” she said.

Unhealthy practice
Most of the time, the proportion of ingredients used in the medicines byillegal manufacturers is 
skewed, says an official.

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