by Jawaid Tariq Khan
Patients must never be allowed to purchase drugs without a prescription with the exception of pain killers like aspirin and paracetamol. Professor Tariq Bhutta's efforts in this regard are, therefore, laudable. His point that many drugs still in use in Pakistan are no longer in use in other countries because of their known side effects is very valid for the health of our people. It is true to say that for each disease there are several drugs. However, equally accurate is the statement that doctors carefully choose a drug for a patient based on his medical history. Hence even if two people have blood pressure yet one also suffers from kidney disease then he cannot be given the same drug.
