Photo from the archive. Minister of Health Erkin Checheybaev
Checheybaev noted that a study conducted ten years ago showed that citizens' spending on medicines is comparable to the funding allocated by the state for healthcare as a whole.
“This situation persists to this day. Unfortunately, there is a high level of medication consumption in Kyrgyzstan. This is due to the fact that we have completely transferred the responsibility for their provision to private pharmacy chains, where the primary goal is profit. The increase in the number of pharmacies leads to higher sales and, consequently, more frequent use of medications by the population. We need to change this trend. Reducing the number of pharmacies and banning the advertising of medications should be among the top priorities, similar to what has been done with tobacco and alcohol advertising,” the minister emphasized.
He also added that many people buy medications based on television advertisements without consulting doctors, which can be dangerous.
“Only a doctor should diagnose and prescribe treatment. People, succumbing to advertising tricks, often use inappropriate medications, which can cause serious harm to health. For example, antibiotics are taken without a doctor's recommendation. Abroad, they are not prescribed without necessity. First, patients are advised to 'drink water for a week and observe.' This is because antibiotics are very powerful and can have dangerous side effects if not used according to strict indications. Such medications should only be taken under a doctor's supervision. Currently, it is the season for ARVI and influenza, and using antibiotics for influenza is also incorrect,” added Erkin Checheybaev.
