Adhere to guidelines for malaria treatment
The Ministry of Health is calling on all private medical practitioners and pharmacies to adhere to the national guidelines developed by local and international practitioners for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria.
The Ministry stated that these have been reviewed by the Pan American Health Organisation /World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and are consistent with WHO’s guidelines.
This appeal follows  several incidents of private practitioners not adhering to the guidelines and principles for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
According to the Ministry, several pharmacies are selling malaria medicines that are not consistent with either Guyana or WHO guidelines.
Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that such a practice undermines Guyana’s efforts to curb and control any outbreak of malaria.
He also noted that the practice of mono-therapy is not included in either the WHO or Guyana’s National Guidelines for malaria treatment.
The Ministry is therefore discouraging private sector practitioners and pharmacies from either selling or using the mono-therapy in the treatment of malaria.
Should this warning not be adhered to, the Ministry will consider restricting importation of malaria medicines by the private sector, Minister Ramsammy stated.
The Ministry is therefore asking the general public to desist from purchasing malaria or any other medicine without proper prescription from a doctor.
The Food and Drug Department, in the coming week, will be checking on pharmacies throughout the country to ensure that mono-therapies is not being stocked for malaria.
Guyana has vowed to continue working to eradicate the infection by 2015; and in doing so; the public is being asked to play its part in controlling the spread of malaria by keeping their surroundings and premises clean.
(GINA)