The fully literate Kerala will soon have a new program in the health sector- ‘medicine literacy’, a mission to be undertaken by the Kerala Private Pharmacists Association (KPPA) for the purpose of giving information on the proper use of pharmaceutical products.

The main objective of the mission is to create a separate class of pharmacists for societal service, called ‘family pharmacists’, who will attend to the patients for providing information on the proper use of medicines prescribed by their doctors. They will give explanations on the periodic consumption of drugs and monitor the side effects, if any.

Briefing Pharmabiz about the mission, the Kerala Private Pharmacists Association’s general secretary, K P Dineshan said the family pharmacists will associate with the family doctors and advise the patients on how to continue with their medications. Awareness on the use of medicines by old people, pregnant women, children and patients with common diseases and life style diseases will be explained on regular basis. The family pharmacists will also visit old age homes and orphanages to assess the health position of the inmates and report it to the local health officials.

If a medicine prescribed by one doctor is not available in the local market, the pharmacists will try to get it for the patient from somewhere or suggest the best alternative. He will advise the patient the exact dose, proper use and how to store it at home. Also, he will check whether the medicine is date-expired or counter-fêted or spurious, and whether it has been dispensed as per the prescription.

“Certain medicines should not be used together, in other cases two different medicines can be used together. If any side effects or allergic problems occur, advice of doctors is necessary for changing the dose or for the precautions. In such situations, the assistance of a pharmacist is very much helpful. The patient should know the strength of the medicines he takes, the number of doses for each day, the time allowed between doses and the medical problem for which he takes the medicine. The family pharmacist will explain these things to the patient”, said Dinesan.

In the beginning the ‘medicine literacy’ programme will take off in Ernakulam district, second phase includes Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkadu districts. On shortages of drugs in the market, KPPA will give report to the drugs control department.