China's use of IV drips 'a danger to health'
By Zhang Xuanchen |
December 25, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE patients received an average of eight bottles of intravenous drips last year, nearly three times the average in other countries, a health official said yesterday.
The overuse of IV drips can lead to potential health problems and even put patients' lives at risk, Zhu Zhixin, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference in Beijing.
Chinese doctors prescribed 10.4 billion bottles of intravenous drips last year, far higher than other countries, where a patient on average received fewer than 3.3 bottles of IV drips, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
"Such overdoses are severely harming people's health and safety," Zhu said, adding that antibiotics, hormones, vitamins and intravenous therapies are among the most frequently used medicines by doctors.
Zhu noted that such situations might partly result from a flawed medical system in which doctors seek more money by prescribing extra drugs.
Zhu said that more than half of government-funded medical institutions at grassroots levels had implemented a basic medicine system, which stipulated that drugs be sold at prices initially set by the government.
He estimated that the prices of basic medicines dropped by 30 percent as a result.
IVs need to be administered by trained staff with great care as using drips raises the risk of secondary infections and other complications compared to taking tablets or having a shot, said Fang Zhouzi, a doctor of biochemistry at Michigan State University in the United States.
In an essay published earlier, Fang said that some Chinese patients preferred IVs because they worked faster than other types of medication.
Chinese on average take 10 times as many antibiotics as people in other countries, Wu Zhen, deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration, said on Thursday.
The overuse of IV drips can lead to potential health problems and even put patients' lives at risk, Zhu Zhixin, deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference in Beijing.
Chinese doctors prescribed 10.4 billion bottles of intravenous drips last year, far higher than other countries, where a patient on average received fewer than 3.3 bottles of IV drips, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
"Such overdoses are severely harming people's health and safety," Zhu said, adding that antibiotics, hormones, vitamins and intravenous therapies are among the most frequently used medicines by doctors.
Zhu noted that such situations might partly result from a flawed medical system in which doctors seek more money by prescribing extra drugs.
Zhu said that more than half of government-funded medical institutions at grassroots levels had implemented a basic medicine system, which stipulated that drugs be sold at prices initially set by the government.
He estimated that the prices of basic medicines dropped by 30 percent as a result.
IVs need to be administered by trained staff with great care as using drips raises the risk of secondary infections and other complications compared to taking tablets or having a shot, said Fang Zhouzi, a doctor of biochemistry at Michigan State University in the United States.
In an essay published earlier, Fang said that some Chinese patients preferred IVs because they worked faster than other types of medication.
Chinese on average take 10 times as many antibiotics as people in other countries, Wu Zhen, deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration, said on Thursday.
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