Pakistan faces overprescribing concerns

A new study has raised concerns about the number of medicines being prescribed to patients in Pakistan.

Researchers found that patients are receiving more than twice the number of medicines recommended by international guidelines in some cases.

The research was conducted by experts from the Health Services Academy in Islamabad. It found that an average prescription in Pakistan contained 4.2 medicines compared with the World Health Organization’s recommended range of around 1.6 to 1.8 medicines.

Some hospitals prescribe more medicines

The study found that the average number was even higher at a major hospital in Peshawar where doctors prescribed around 10.56 medicines per prescription.

Researchers also found that only 25% of medicines in Pakistan were prescribed using their generic names. The WHO recommends prescribing medicines by their generic names to support appropriate and cost effective medicine use.

Antibiotics and injections raise concerns

The research found that 45% of prescriptions included antibiotics compared with the international range of about 20% to 26.8%.

More than 27% of prescriptions also included injections while only around 72% of prescribed medicines were listed in Pakistan’s National Essential Medicines List.

Why are so many medicines prescribed?

Professor Shahzad Ali said unnecessary medicine use was found across different levels of healthcare from basic health centers to teaching hospitals.

He explained that some patients ask for injections or antibiotics because they believe these treatments will help them recover faster.

He also pointed to pharmaceutical companies marketing as one possible reason for the low use of generic medicines.

Experts call for better prescribing practices

Although guidelines for prescribing medicines are available researchers say they are not always followed.

They called for stronger action to reduce unnecessary medicines and antibiotic use and promote safer more appropriate prescribing practices