Qatar’s healthcare providers must do more to counter an increase in antibiotic resistance in the country, doctors at Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC) have said.
Specifically, primary healthcare clinics and the private healthcare sector must stop needlessly prescribing the drugs to their patients, and work to curb their improper use, said Dr. Hussam Al Soub, senior consultant at HMC’s Infectious Diseases Unit.
Studies have shown that prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily or giving them to patients who fail to complete a course can cause some bacteria to become resistant to the medicines altogether.
In a statement, Al Soub said:
“Microorganisms exposed to antimicrobial drugs adapt to the molecules of these drugs and develop resistant traits so that standard treatments become increasingly ineffective.
This results in an increased risk of serious illness and death among patients with infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria or pathogens.”
He added that in Qatar, one of the biggest problems is the frequent prescription of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections like the common cold, which are mostly caused by viruses rather than bacteria, and therefore not helped by antibiotics.
He said that Qatar had seen an increase in antibiotic resistance over the past few years, for which the “main driving force” was the abuse or overuse of antibiotics.
In the past, Qatar officials have temporarily shut down pharmacies for selling antibiotics and other drugs without a prescription.
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HMC’s call to action echoes a similar appeal made last year, in which doctors urged residents to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle to fight disease, and work to prevent illness by washing hands, handling food properly and avoiding close contact with sick people who are contagious.
But this year, the entity has also established an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program to help ensure the drugs are only prescribed where clinically necessary, both in hospitals and in medical clinics across the country.
The new program will focus on enforcing rules that prohibit the sale of antibiotics without prescription, more education for doctors on their use and prevention of infection in hospitals.
However, a recent Qatar University study found that a lack of infectious disease specialists and proper training of healthcare providers in the country was limiting the effectiveness of the program.
Thoughts?
Every visit to the health center, for any reason, the doctors prescribe antibiotics!
Everyone’s experiences are so interesting! At the clinic by my place (Safa Polyclinic), they rarely prescribe antibiotics! And pretty much only after they give you a blood test to see if you have a bacterial infection, just to make sure you need it.
In the health centres doctors proscribe antibiotics just by having a little look in the throat, AMAZING!
Last month, I had an intensive continuous headache for about two weeks. When I first went to the doctor, instead of doing a proper diagnosis, he immediately prescribed an antibiotic. In fact, he said “I’m not exactly sure if it is a viral or a bacterial infection, so I’ll go ahead and prescribe antibiotics for both”. Really? and we wonder why antibiotic resistance is rising here? Seems like every doctor visit ends with an antibiotic, this clearly says that HMC hires amateur doctors or they have an extra supply of antibiotics that they want to get rid of before their expiry date. During that helpless case that I was in, I ended up taking three courses of antibiotics in one month. For the love of god and all that is holy, hire professional doctors who want to treat people, know how to do a proper diagnosis and can do more than prescribe a freakkin’ drug.
There is part of the problem, antibotics have zero affect on viral conditions. Stupid doctor should know that.
It’s one thing to blame the patients, but it’s the doctors who routinely prescribe stronger and stronger antibiotics for even trivial complaints. I’m not medically trained but I’m pretty sure I didn’t need to be taking antibiotics for the persistent flu I had. And as for the issue of people not complete their course as prescribed, that’s the unavoidable outcome of a society where no one aces consequences for their actions.
Antibotics will not treat flu at all, at best a placebo effect.
The more they prescribe certain antibiotics the biggest the commission or incentive for both practioners and medical representative.if your uncertain to the 1st doctor seek for a second opinion. And know first if the doctor is at its best specialization. taking antibiotics or too much antibiotics as prescribe could damage your liver. So be keen in seeking medical practioners and taking antibiotics.
Every time I go to the doctors here I am prescribed at least 3 difference medicines. Always a case of ‘not sure what is wrong with you, so try this, this and this.’ Sometimes by the time I am finished with the medicine it has killed good things, bad things and has given me a new problem. So I have stopped going, will just suffer in silence if I get ill.
What life on Earth evolves? Who knew that! Many here spend their time denying evolution as some wicked western lie trying to undermine their religion. The doctors at HMC should be arrested for blasphemy!
It’s a huge problem in Qatar. I don’t often go to the doctor but I went once and got prescribed a whole number of pills. I asked what they were for and he explained. I then pointed out that antibotics prescribed are for fighting bacteria and the others were for treating virus related problems, so did he know what he was treating or not. His response was, best to try and cover everything to save you coming back….. you couldn’t make it up.
Plus the doctors get pushed by suppliers all the time to “sell’ their products and who cares the insurance will pick up the cost anyway….
I popped into a medical center asking for directions and left with a bag of antobiotics!
I had a bad infection before, it was so bad I was breaking out into a rash. I tried to tell the doctor that I think the rash was due to an infection but they ignored. They gave me steroids which suppressed my immune system and allowed the bacteria to flourish and spread. It became a vicious cycle…they would give antibiotics for an infection (they never checked thoroughly where it was, they just knew it was there because of test results) then kept me on steroids cause they refused to acknowledge the rash was due to the infection. Due to the steroid usage the infection never went away, it would die down but not go. It became resistant too all antibiotics but 3!
Eventually I stopped the steroids on my own after feeling miserable and finally found a doctor to treat the infection properly. It is now gone and I have no more rash.
I have been lucky enough to find a doctor here who does not prescribe antibiotics without knowing what the problem is. He is Egyptian and in my opinion one of the most competent and understanding GPs I’ve ever met.
This is just another manifestation of the low professional standards and lack of willingness to take responsibility endemic in Qatar. This is not just about healthcare, which in general is not that bad in Qatar.