Public's knowledge of medicine still poor

JAKARTA (JP): The public's understanding of the proper selection and usage of pharmaceuticals is still poor, says a professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

"There are many generic drugs on sale. But it does not mean people can use them all," Charles Siregar said yesterday.

Siregar said that many people still needed to know about the correct selection of drugs for illnesses.

In addition, he added, people should learn to understand their doctors' instructions for taking the drugs because it will speed up the recovery process.

"This will reduce health costs -- meaning that people will not have to return to their doctor for further consultation if they get the right dosage of drugs the first time," he said.

Siregar, who teaches at the Bandung-based Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java, believes that pharmacists play a decisive role in disseminating information about what drugs are best for treating a particular illness.

He said that Indonesia, like many other countries, is now developing clinical pharmacy activities. These activities aim to promote the role of pharmacists as people who stay in touch with the public and give them correct information about what drugs to use.

He said that these activities also include telling doctors what drugs would be most beneficial to their patients for certain types of ailments.

"The goal of the activity is for pharmacists to guarantee the safety of the drugs prescribed by doctors," he said.

Siregar also said that Indonesia had gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the high quality of the drugs produced by the local pharmaceutical industries.

He said that Indonesia has managed to meet the domestic demand for pharmaceuticals, meaning that there was no way that the country would serve as a testing ground for drugs produced by foreign industries.

Also yesterday, the Indonesian Pharmacists Association (ISFI) of which Siregar is a member of the patron council, announced the plan to hold the fourth Pan Pacific Asian Congress on Clinical Pharmacies here. The congress will be held from July 10 through July 14.

The congress will be participated in by more than 200 delegates from Indonesia and foreign countries, including Australia and the United States.

The goal of the congress will be to share information and to encourage pharmacists' participation in serving the public.

H. Imam Hidayat, chairman of ISFI's central executive board, said that the organization is encouraging pharmacists not to concentrate only on profits.

He said if the pharmacists could gain the confidence of consumers through their activities, in the long run the public would become a knowledgeable market force. (par)