Follow up the Physician’s Advice

Written by: Muhammad Arif Rahimi

Every patient goes to a doctor and gets medicines. Some ordinary sickness might be cured by a single prescription but some others patients need to go regularly to the physician and if they neglect, they might face some other problems.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some patients and a physician about this issue.

Lema, a resident of Kabul city says, “I was suffering from tuberculosis and I went four times to my physician and I thought that I had gotten my health back and I split my medication but after 6 months, the disease attacked me again and now I have lost my 25 kilograms weight and I am so weak that I could not walk on the way.”

Tila Muhammad, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “My wife was suffering from rheumatism and I took 3 times to a physician and then she said that the medicines did not affect her and she split the medication in half. Now she is suffering from heart disease too.

Doctor Haseebullah, an internist at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, Kabul city talks about this issue, “The patients of tuberculosis, heart diseases, blood pressure, jaundice, diabetes, and some other diseases need continuous medication and chick up. If they do not follow up the physician advice, their disease might get worse and could not be treated easily inside the country, for example, if a patient doesn’t cure his/her liver disease, he/she might face serious health problems.”

Why do some people don’t follow up with the physician’s advice?

Naseema, a resident of Herat province says, “I got my health back with the first prescription of the doctor and I did not follow up the doctor's advice and the sickness attacked me back.”

Lema says, “When I thought I had gotten my health back and my family members were also thinking that I was completely recovered, then I split the medication.”

Doctor Haseebullah says, “The families members’ recklessness; not have enough information about health care; neglecting the physician’s advice and sometimes economic problems cause patients to split the medication in half but the patient’s family has to send the patient to the doctor according to the physician’s advice.”