Treatment of Diarrhoea by Proprietary-medicine Vendors.

Abstract

Summary: Treatment of diarrhoea by 75 patent and proprietary medicine-store vendors in Ilorin, was investigated, using a questionnaire. The study revealed that 66.7 percent of those selling the medicines at the stores, were employees and of these, 30 percent were primary school children. Questions were seldom asked by the storekeepers, or the employees about the diarrhoea, nor was the child with diarrhoea asked to be seen for evidence of dehydration. Knowledge about the efficacy of oral rehydration therapy was totally lacking among the respondents in the stores. At all the stores that were investigated, drugs (kaolin, thalazole, flagyl etc) were recommended for the treatment of diarrhoea. Similarly lacking was the awareness of the seriousness of the condition and the need to refer cases to some medical centre. In the light of the present findings, there is a great need for the government to review the existing laws that regulate the establishment and functions of these proprietary medicine stores and also to update courses for the store vendors. A monitoring system to supervise the training of these vendors should be established.