Widespread Misuse and Abuse in Prescribing Drugs

Many patients suffering from the flue or arthritis are being over-prescribed medicine, an NGO claimed on April 19.
The Seoul YMCA anounced it found that a lot of medical institutions prescribe inappropriate injections and antibiotics when it sent test subjects who claimed to have standard symptons of the flue and arthritis to 300 hospitals and 150 pharmacies. The YMCA acted in cooperation with the Doctors' Committee for Humane Practice and the Pharmacist Committee for a Healthy Society.
According to the released report, 54.7 percent of the hospitals and 61.3 percent of the pharmacies wrote a prescription for antibiotic pills to patients complaining that they had stuffed up noses or a slight fever. The antibiotics prescribed become less effective the more times they are used by a patient because viruses gradually aqcuire an immunity to them.
A more troubling fact was that 6.7 percent of all the hospitals and 10.7 percent of all the pharmacies in the trial prescribed adrenocortical steroid, which should only be taken with caution because of its many side effects.
The phoney arthritis patients, who stated they had symptoms of fatigue throughout their whole body and swollen legs for the past three months, were unnecessarily prescribed adrenocortical steroid by 16.2 percent of the hospitals and 25.3 percent of the pharmacies they were sent to.
The Seoul YMCA urged, 'As a result of the investigation, widespread abuse and misuse of medicine had been revealed. Early enforcement of the separation of dispensaries from medical practices as well as the improvement of medication is urgently required to prevent this.'
Jooan Kang : jooan@joongang.co.kr