Not everyone who sells medicine, especially the traditional ones are reliable. According to health officials Bhutanese have a tendency to blindly buy traditional medicines without confirming if the seller is registered with the Drug Regulatory Authority or not. The DRA is cautioning people to be careful of such people.
Recently, four local practitioners were warned and asked to sign an agreement to stop them from practising the trade.
Our reporter, Tandin Phuntsho, found a pamphlet of a traditional medicine, which says it will cure diabetes, HIV and tuberculosis. There is another pamphlet saying that it will cure epilepsy and paralysis. Each medicine costs Nu. 300.
According to Sonam Dorji, Drug Controller of the Drug Regulatory Authority, such practices are not always focused on helping people but to make fast money. “We know that Bhutanese have very strong belief in terms of religion, religious practices. So we feel that most of these practices are being capitalised on this belief of our people”
The Director of Department of Medical Services, Dr. Ugen Dophu, said such medicines will lead to development of resistance. “Suppose they use low dose antibiotic then it will lead to development of resistance and then ultimately when the patients come to our hospitals then they have to be put on higher antibiotics.”
Accordingly the cost of treatment also goes up. Dr. Ugyen Dophu said that one of ladies in Paro spent about Nu. 70,000 for trying to cure a disease from one of the local practitioners in Semtokha, Thimphu. “Ultimately she came to JDWNRH, so we checked her hemoglobin. We found it very low and had blood transfusion and gave iron tablets for six months. Now she is fine. So if she hadn’t come to us, then she would have died of heart failure.”
Could this be one reason for patients coming to hospitals with complications? Health officials say it is difficult to say, as patients do not speak about it.
