Medicine is not only about treatment but also about prevention of illness and disease.
The more prevention there is the less treatment will be necessary. Because of lack of knowledge of prevention there is need for pharmacies to be available.
It is obvious that hardly any human being from birth can live without the need to obtain some medicine that can be conventional or traditional.
The fact is that as civilization advances we have been relying less and less on traditional medicine.
Medicines are fit only for old people but also for all age groups. For a fact, according to our life styles, natural forces within us are the true healers of diseases.
Our systems react positively or negatively according to our intakes of food and behaviors.
We would be doing ourselves lots of good if we abide by what our doctors say.
It is said that some patients die of their medicines instead of their diseases.
The bugbear in our society is that there are lots of medicines floating all over the place that are either counterfeit or expired.
This is one of the reasons why medicines kill instead of leaving people to die of natural causes.
Our borders are so porous that they cannot be physically manned by the limited police and military forces available.
It is a pity that 70% of goods containers coming into our country through our ports receive no quality inspection and these obviously contain lots of expired and counterfeit drugs that find their way along the streets of the central business districts of our cities, towns and villages with peppeh doctors at the center of the plot.
These add to the drugs smuggled by land and sea and we have an idea of the bane affecting the proletariat.
The situation is an indictment to a government that cannot provide space for Standards Bureau but allow such dangers to public health with over 10% of GDP available to them.
The need for Pharmacies on duty cannot be overemphasized.
In fact it is long overdue.It is not clear to us whether the cost Recovery Unit of Connaught Hospital is one for 24 hours.
But even if it is not many prescribed medicines are available there.
It is necessary to schedule certain pharmacies in various parts of our cities to be open at night.
This is because people can’t get ill at night that need drugs urgently and cannot wait till daybreak.
Delay is more dangerous when life and death is concerned.
It would interest readers to know that Pharmacies On Duty operate not only in developed countries but also in a developing country like Ethiopia.
The names of designated pharmacies are announced on the electronic media.
It is done rotationally. These pharmacies should be protected by the armed forces and their proprietors and need have no fear.
It is a national duty from which they too will benefit .How about that?