The rate of antibiotic resistance among Vietnamese people has been rising due to the inappropriate use of over-the-counter antibiotics in treatment of anti-bacterial contamination in the country. No prescription was involved in 88% of antibiotics sales in major cities while the ratio was 91% in rural areas, health experts said at a conference in Hanoi on Aug 7 to launch a national action program to fight drug resistance through 2020. Most antibiotics are now no longer effective in treating bacterial infections, they said, blaming pharmaceutical retailers and members of the public for arbitrarily using antibiotics in unnecessary cases. Patients prefer buying antibiotics at OTC pharmacies to going to hospitals for check-ups and treatments due to the overcrowding there. Meanwhile, the majority of Vietnam’s street corner pharmacists lack proper medical training and routinely disregard regulations that require prescriptions for antibiotic sales. A 2010 survey of nearly 3,000 pharmacies in cities and rural areas in northern Vietnam revealed low public awareness about the relation between antibiotic abuse and drug resistance. Pharmaceutical staff proved equally ignorant, particularly in rural communities. The survey found nearly half of antibiotics sold in cities lacked a prescription and 29% in rural areas. The survey found that antibiotics contributed to 13% of the pharmacy revenues in cities and nearly 19% in rural areas. As a result, many people have become resistant to certain kinds of antibiotics and doctors now have to rely on antibiotic cocktails to treat their patient. Among 443 medical records selected at random during a survey conducted at the Hue Central Hospital in 2012, only one involved the prescription of a single antibiotic. Most of those surveyed received three different antibiotics; 43 patients were given two kinds; 34 others received six or more. Nguyen Thi Xuyen, vice minister of health, said antibiotic resistance is bigger to Vietnam where the large number of bacterial diseases make the use of antibiotics extremely necessary. (VnExpress Aug 6)
