The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has warned pharmacies to stop selling or dispensing antibiotics to patients without prescriptions.
Health Times reported on Tuesday that scientific data has affirmed that Antibiotic dispensing without prescriptions is a major determinant of the emergence of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The Government is now in the process of drafting a policy to regulate the “irrational” dispensing of Antibiotics.
Speaking at the Inaugural Joint Community Pharmacies Association (CPA) and Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Association (PWA) Joint Conference in Harare, Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, John Mangwiro said:
Let me remind you that you have a critical role to play in combating Antimicrobial Resistance to preserve the ammunition we have in fighting infection.
We continue to hear of the use of antibiotics irrationally and unabated issuing of antibiotics without prescriptions…
A professional should be able to guard against the unwarranted use and dispensing of Antibiotics without a prescription.
Professionalism must be restored. If we don’t do that, we will be exposing patients to harm.
The Ministry will soon be embarking on an Antimicrobial policy that will promote and streamline access to the use of antibiotics.
I urge you to remain professional in the discharge of your roles and responsibilities as we endeavor to attain an upper-middle-income status by 2030.
He also called on pharmacies to play an active role in the surveillance of disease outbreaks.
However, pharmacy players who attended the inaugural conference complained of a harsh operating environment and called for dialogue between pharmacists and regulators.
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