In our previous report on the issue, we found that Pethidine is a medicine used as a drug but undermining health of users as they can get serious health effects with the excessive use.
The drug is still available easily at some pharmacies in Rwanda where people sometimes use it even without having signs of serious pain as it serves to reduce pain.
Dr Janvier Rusizana, a private medical official working for la nouvelle triade clinic in Kigali said that Pethidine hydrochrolide injection is used to reduce serious pain.
Yvonne Uwamahoro, the director of Centre Psychotherapeutic Icyizere in Kicukiro which is a branch of Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital CARAES/NDERA for mental disorders said last year they received four people with difficulties of using Pethidine.
She said that someone with Pethidine’s effect is characterized by the irregular performance of his/her actual work, and if the user is a student cannot attend the class regularly as he used to do before using Pethidine injection.
Spending money, stealing, unusual selling of properties especially for youth can also characterize Pethidine drug user.
illicit ordinance of Pethedine/ La nouvelle triade clinic- Dr Rusizana Photo Mike
Rusizana said that one should have used this drug before and has to mark serious pain symptoms to be allowed the drug by a pharmacist.
“We give it to the patient with the serious pain symptoms and following his current historical intake of this drug,” said Rusizana.
Some people who used Pethidine so far told The Express News that it marked serious negative health effects.
The drug has a package of pharmaceutical regulations as per ministry of health.
“When it comes that the patient uses the drug contrary to the regulations, me I cannot do anything on that as I give it to him/her expecting that he/she will use it as recommended,” he noted.
Joseph Kabatende, in charge of pharmacies in the ministry of health said that some measures to address the issue were established such as the implementation of laws and regulations governing drugs issuance.
He said a special entity dealing with such drugs is soon to be established by the ministry of health.
“We are looking on how to establish a special institution under the ministry of health that will be dealing with drugs. The draft of the law is under process in the parliament and we expect its final by January next year,” Kabatende said.
Joseph Kabatende in charge of pharmacies in the ministry of health Photo Mike
He said that the current law states that whoever is given pethidine is also given an accompanying document valued for 10 years to be able to help him/her in case of urgent effect.
Kabatende reminds all vendors of such drugs to respect laws when issuing them so that they save lives instead of causing problems.
