Model Opinion Essay on Health
Nowadays, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor.
Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
There is a growing trend among sick persons regarding their means of treatment. Many are opting for self-medication and seeking traditional medicine rather than hospital care. This is a worrying development, even though they claim it provides them with temporal relief.
On the one hand, purchasing over-the-counter drugs without doctor prescription provides a rapid solution when an individual falls ill. This form of self-medication saves time spent to drive down to a hospital and to wait to see a doctor because of hospital protocols. Because many sick persons from past history are accustomed to the drugs they take when ill, they independently walk into neighbouring pharmacies and request for antibiotics or pain such medications at cheap costs once they become unwell. Some even resort to local herbs, to avoid high hospital bills or because they believe in the potency of the herbs. This step provides them some instant relief and for the lucky ones, they recover fully within a short while.
On the flip side, there are many instances where complications arise after over-the-counter drugs or traditional medicine is consumed. These complications arise due to overdose or the consumption of wrong drugs. With self-medication, the patient is ill-advised on the correct drug to take and the right dosage. Worse still, many indisposed persons do not follow the prescriptions written on the drug packs either due to ignorance, illiteracy or over-confidence. When things go wrong, their situation worsens and they are forced to see their doctors. Unfortunately, for many, by this time, their conditions have become too severe to redeem and they become fatal casualties.
In sum, the idea of ingesting drugs and herbs when sick without doctor’s advice is life threatening no matter the initial relief it provides. The populace needs to be enlightened on the risks involved in self-medication and the consumption of local herbs. Moreover, the cost of health needs to be subsidized to encourage the poor to visit hospitals when sick.
324 words
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