Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

n India there are inbuilt errors in health care system which are causing havoc in health care provision. The unholy relationships between drug manufactures and prescriber is rampant. There are many innovative ways and means adopted by the manufacturer who always be successful in making the drug being consumed . The foreign trips, cash incentives although unethical is practiced vigorously.

The powerful media ,week regulations, greedy prescriber and drug retailers confounded to the problem irrational drug prescription and medication. The biggest hurdle posed in overcoming these weakness is the system itself. There should be universal guidelines on marketing and handling of the prescription medicines which ensures patient safety and rational use of drug. There is no body other than international agencies like WHO can take up the cause and press upon governments to adopt universal guidelines strictly.

As Mankind being one , drugs being used are same, the guidelines to use them should be universally be the same.Why a patient in India should be treated carelessly while a patient in USA gets the maximum care while medicine being prescribed.

The Pharmaceutical Care in Community Pharmacy
Under the flagship of ACPI we have started Program . The program consists of creating the awareness to the public regarding the role of pharmacist in health care. In India Pharmacists are having little role to play in management of health care. In this model we have taken 21 students from 3rd B.pharm, On each day three volunteers report to the session. The session is conducted in front of a medical stores in Manipal. When people come for procuring Medicines. Our team approaches to offer of measuring Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure. We have tie up with our university Nursing college. The students of Pharmacy and Nursing college are providing the people with BP and BMI measurements . Apart from it advice on diet exercise and other good things to do to mange health are being counseled to people.

We are doing it for the month February.
Each volunter gets 4 oppurtunity to interact with patients.
The program is getting popular. Hence I would request other pharmacy colleges in countryto start this kind of activity.In a long run a good name and identity for pharmacisits in the community can be earned,

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

In our experiments of Association of Community Pharmacy, I have come across with cases which are indeed as pharmacist we can do difference for a patient.I would like to share my experiences. I have come across a patient who is diabetic and had unhealed wound in one of his foot. I come across the raper of the Augementin lying in his milk shop, where I go to fetch my morning milk. After seeing the raper, I was curious and asked who is taking the medicine. He told that since one month he is taking the medicine, still the wound is not healed. On further inquiry, he told that his doctor has prescribed the medicine. It is very expensive brand costs him 38 INR . On further inquiry, he said he is taking only once daily per , instead of two as the medicine is very expensive and should be highly potent. why to take two ?(although doctor has prescribed two day). I quickly got alerted and felt that I need to help this patient . I went back and referred the Current Index of Medical Specialties (CIMS) . For Amoxycilin and Clavanic acid combinations, there are several brands of medicines with different prices. To my surprise there is brand called Clvam by Alkem which is priced 18 INR. I asked the patient to talk with his doctor to change over from Augementin to Clavam. Doctor agreed for change over. I made a condition with the patient to take medicine twice daily with a gap of 12 hours.
With in five days the wound dried up.
The patients have their own myths about medicines, pharmaceutical illiteracy being natural the role of pharmacist to help patient in achieving safe efficacious out comes is highly important.

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

The common man in the country is not getting a fair deal as for the health care is considered.We see lot of discrepancy as for as the therapeutic practices are considred.
The unethical marketing practices are so much rampant and are making the prescriber to prescribe more and more to patients, who do not understand any thing he is been prescribed and administered. There is lot of differences in comparison with developed nations, where Industries are scrutinized for unethical practices. In India although the Medicines are pushed by paying kick back to prescriber in the form of cash and kind.
There is no agency who is interested to look and alarm the community or Government.
Things go unabated as the stake holders are silent on the issue. The Industry and health care professionals are not questioned for unethical practices.
It is time for us to stand for patients, so that fair deal for patients can be asked for,

This is scenario where the illogical irrational way of using drugs is harming common man

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

Pharmaceutical care is a novel concept mooted by World Health Organization (WHO) and Federation of International Pharmacy to make the health care more patient friendly and error free. The conventional health care setups are usually run under the leadership of doctors. Due to avialbility of enormous clinical information it has become difficult to provide balanced health care by doctor alone. To resolve the issue, WHO proposed a model of team based health care in which doctor , nurse and pharmacist are primary members. They have come out with doctors for diagnosis; nurses for nursing care and pharmacist to give pharmaceutical care to needy patients in clinical set up. All this effort to deliver quality clinical care

By taking inspiration from the above, Association of Community Pharmacist of India (ACPI) in collaboration with Dr AV Baliga Memorial Charitable Hospital under the aegis of Kamala Baliga Memorial Charitable Institution and Manipal University, launched a program for the members of diabetic patient club a self help group in Doddangudde, Manipal.

There were 35 volunteers from Manipal university who visited patient home and checked the blood pressure, body weight and random blood sugar levels. They also calculated the body mass index of the patients. The patients were asked to submit their prescription. The prescriptions were explained to patients on how and when to take the medicine, how to store them properly. The pharmaceutical care involved aspects of drugs, disease and life style. Patients were explained the concepts and misconceptions about diabetes. The fallow up program on every subsequent fortnightly for 45 days will be provided to all the patients of the diabetic club by Assocoiation of community pharmacist of India.

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

It is observed that patients are usually negligent as for as the health is concerned and also negligent while taking the medicines.In my observation the people are overconfident about the health, as the think it is their birth right to be healthy, In reality health is governed by habits and practices on does regularly over period determines one health status. A good understanding of factors directly influencing health and practice the do and cut down on dont's will surely puts one on a healthy regimen. This is possible only when one has been given an object oriented education in general education. Hence health education should be made as part of general education. It adds much to the cut down in expenditure on medicine. The people with basic understanding of management of their own health would alert and fallow the correct procedures when they fall ill. This would result in cut down in health expenditure as less people would fall sick.
There is no systematic education on health education in our country. As a result of this people are confused what to do when they fall sick. Which vaccinations, what precautions , need to be taken in case of epidemics.

In fact Pharmaceutical illtrecy is another hurdle in provision of health care. It seems most of the people believe that drugs can rarely harm their health and drugs are soft to body which is a myth among people to neglect the precautions while using the medicines. It is the duty of the pharmacist to alert the people and ensure their patients understand the do and dont while using particular medicine by each dispensed medicine. Here is a professional obligation for pharmacists to face this challenge and protect the people from harm the ignorance is causing.

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

Pharmacovigilance is an important aspect of drug development and use in clinical settings to ensure safe and responsible therapy. Off late this field has caught attention of health care professionals and regulators alike. Government of India is exerting its influence on the all stake holders to enhance the Pharmacovigilance system in India.

India is now in the initiation phase of this program and this group wants to explore the developments in this phase to gain an insight into this aspect. Apart from identifying the Adverse drug events, pharmacovigilence contributes to the patient safety to a large extent.
It is very important to see the program being run on totally independent and results of this study helps on to take appropriate decisions timely to save the drug hazaords.
Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

The prices of the medicine is often neglected by the helath care providers. As the prices of the drugs are paid by the patient who is pharmacuetically illetrate is likely to be taken for a ride. I have come accross lots of discripency in prices of ethical pharmacueticals in our country. In fact it is premises where a pharmacuetical industry is able to market at what ever prices tag there products carry. The generics of Ciprofloxacin 250 mg tablets costs for 1o tabets Rs 10.52 paise where is branded is priced at 55.50 paise; similarly Ciprofloxacin 500 mg for 10 tablets generics avialble at Rs22.50
where as Branded is priced 95.50.
To over come this meance The Govt. of India has come out with various ammendemnts and laws and intiatives.
For e.g., Drug Price control order. National Drug Agency;
Recently the Govt ogf India has called for NGO govt bodies to open up medical stores who will be selling only the generic medicines. It is called fair price medicne shop. It is all to help the common man to avoid unneccessary expenditure on medicine.
Here we must appreciate the Govt. concern regarding prices of medicine
Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik

Dear Fellow Pharmacists,

There is a need to create awareness regarding the role of pharmacuetical care and how it can improve the treatement .It is very much important that the initiative has to come from pharmacists. We should never forget that health care is a team work
In this aspect, we have to innovate novel approches by which doctors, nurses and patients start accepting as phamracuetical care can greatly influence the outcome of therpuetics,

Prof Anantha Naik Nagappa
My Page : http://www.pharmainfo.net/ananthanaik