A Public Health Specialist with 37 Military Hospital, Major Dr Eunice Mensah has advised Ghanaians to desist from self-medication and visit health facilities for treatment, especially on infections.
Speaking in an interview Major Dr. Mensah said the world must take infection prevention seriously since that is something that cannot be lived without.
“Our mothers, our older generation, will prefer not to go to the hospital because they feel they will die. All of us should try and keep in mind that the outbreak of COVID came because we relaxed the protocols on infection prevention. When you feel you don’t know what you are treating don’t resort to your first aid box.”
She said patients are mostly ignorant that each ward has its own prevention protocols at health facilities.
According to her, Ghanaians are relaxing because the COVID death toll is now down. She, therefore, entreated Ghanaians to continue observing the COVID-19 protocols such as washing their hands with soap under running water among others.
“We may get to a point where the kind of generation of antibiotics that will be produced a layman may not be able to afford. Before COVID, people were taking a lot of antibiotics and if you don’t take care the medications we take may not help us.
“If you have an infection that cannot be treated then you are going to die. We didn’t pay much attention to infection prevention until COVID.
COVID came in to jumpstart us again. We are working hard for staff to educate patients because most of the infection prevention is staff centred.”
She said because of COVID there are a lot of health institutions that engage in Telemedicine for those with hospital phobia. “We are working hard for staff to educate patients because most of the infection prevention is staff centered.”
Major Dr. Mensah further disclosed that infections that could be controlled with the right measures are respiratory tract infections because as health practitioners they know the cause.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
