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Advising on medications is physician's job, says official

Advising on medications is the job of a physician, not a pharmacist, Lyudmila Zhylevich, a deputy departmental chief at the health ministry, said at a round-table conference held in Minsk on Thursday, defending the ministry’s plans to extend the list of prescription drugs.

“There have been a lot of instances where self-treatment led to the death of the patient or the aggravation of his disease,” said Ms. Zhylevich.

“Advising on medications is not a pharmacist's job,” she stressed. “A pharmacy’s only job is to sell medications. It is hard to imagine that a person standing behind the counter is able to deliver well-grounded advice within three seconds.”

Most anti-fever drugs and pain killers will remain on the over-the-counter lists, said Ms. Zhylevich. “Only narcotic and some non-narcotic pain medications will be available on prescription, along with hormonal drugs, some antibiotics, strong cardiovascular drugs and some other medications,” she added. //BelaPAN