Editorial: Go for Quality Medicines, Not Cheap Deaths

By Okechukwu Onuegbu

In recent times, we have heard people arguing that they patronise quacks for their medical needs due to the high cost of medicines at pharmacies. They also claim that patent medicine dealers and drug vendors provide relatively cheap medications. However, contrary to these arguments, patronising professionals, especially community pharmacists, is the most affordable, time-saving, reliable, and effective way to manage your health.

Considering Nigeria's current economic challenges, patronising quacks is extremely dangerous because health is wealth. In an attempt to cut costs, you may end up paying for your own death. The drugs you purchase for a lesser amount could be fake, expired, substandard, or counterfeit. Many are repackaged, relabeled and preserved with unhealthy substances before being sold in communities and on the streets to attract unsuspecting patients with low prices. Also, some of these products were made under poor hygiene or exposed to germs and pathogens by the unprofessionals handling them. Similarly, those prescribing or administering them might give you an overdose or an insufficient dose, thereby worsening your health condition. In the past, law enforcement agencies have exposed these unprofessional practices, which have led to many untimely deaths or permanent incapacitation. This is why you may never get well, even after taking the prescribed doses. Consequently, this will not only negatively impact your finances but also lead to organ damage.

Community pharmacists, on the other hand, offer their services at very affordable rates. As licensed professionals with extensive university and industry training, they are the custodians of safe medicines, equipped with knowledge of drug interactions, dosages, and disease management. When you buy from them, you will get quick and desired results. This will allow you to quickly return to your daily activities. In other words, you are not just paying for medicine but for quality assurance, expert advice, and the certainty that what you are taking will heal rather than harm.

Therefore, you must note that even if the cost of medicines in pharmacies are slightly higher, the value is far greater. The price difference covers professional handling, proper storage under regulated conditions, and a guarantee of authenticity. In the long run, it saves families from the much greater costs of treatment failure, prolonged illness, and avoidable deaths caused by fake or poorly handled medicines.

FactcheckNg urges Nigerians to prioritise safety over short-term savings. Patronising a community pharmacist today is an investment in your health and the well-being of your loved ones. Kindly remember that medicines are not mere commodities but life-saving interventions. This life is too precious to gamble on the cheapest offer.