Senior Officer – Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd
I work in the industrial sector or private sector in Bangladesh. Specifically, the industry is related and responsible for manufacturing life-saving drugs required by healthcare-practitioners, healthcare facilities and their staffs, also general public ill or non-ill. It is also known as pharmaceuticals sector. Key risks and issues anyone working in this area needs to be aware of, a) Adverse event (AE) related with drug administration (pre & post). This event might lead to other serious event(s); extreme being, fatality. There is also possibilities of adverse drug reaction (ADR). I was also made aware of Pharmacovigilance (PV) as one of major Issues in risk assessment and management in the pharmaceuticals. There is also an issue or application of Benefit/Risk Assessment in this area of work, too.
I think, people in my country or community struggle to understand the scientific purpose of drug-dosage while utilizing medicine, which is generally accepted and set by pharmacological & biochemistry. I think lack of awareness cause this set-back. Sometimes, attitudes come into play. I also believe available pharma products of poor quality (although, there is best-practice or GMP in place in Bangladesh) oftentimes win over people’s decision or choice, due to their lack of capability in purchasing the essentials, when facing illness.
Yes, data and information, I think are abundant globally. But what I think at the National level, it might be a little low in comparison other EU countries, but on par or little above in comparison with other South Asian countries. But often times, what I think is, the medium of and the method of communication (i.e. physician to patient, brand marketers to vendors, social media infotainment etc.) play a vital role in people’s decision, who’re struggling to make the right choices. People who are preoccupied with meeting daily-life’s essentials & the such end-meet; drastically might lack interests of assessing the aforementioned. What I think, the people are missing is, the space or time to better imagination of how to build a quality full-life.