It’s found that many children suffering from diarrhea are becoming victims of medical malpractice. In such a situation, doctors have asked for increased awareness among guardians. A mother of one and a half year old Saif, says that when she went to the pharmacy to get orsaline, the doctor also gave four antibiotics, asking her not to feed anything to the child. Later, when the condition did not improve, she took her son to Suhrawardy Hospital where doctors told her that she should have given oral saline and regular food.
Most mothers taken their children to local pharmacy and do not use adequate water, which is half litre, in making saline.
As a result, children are becoming sick.
Dr. Shahadat Hossian of health department’s control room, says: “on 19 December, 982 persons were affected by diarrhea and in the last one week, this number was 7171 and 30732 in one month.”
From January till present, 23 December, 4 lakh 25 thousand 468 people were affected by diarrhea with one person dying.
A pharmacy owner says: “I have been running this shop for 37 years and for diarrhea, usually give Filmet.”
Dr. Ehsanul Karim told Bangla Tribune: “there must be awareness and stoppage in the sale of antibiotics.”
Antibiotics should be sold with prescription and not as over the counter medicines like Paracetamol, Antacyd and Vitamins.
Deputy programme manager of National Nutrition Service, Dr. M Islam Bulbul, told Bangla Tribune: “for diarrhea in infants and children, we recommend normal food, oral saline and zinc syrup.”
A child should be kept in observation for three days because diarrhea usually abates after that time, he added.
Health department DG, Professor Dr. A H Enayet Hossain says: “pharmacies prescribe antibiotics which is not right.”