The Pharmacy Council's recent visit to 54 Bangkok communities found that most elderly chronic patients failed to take medicines prescribed for them, leaving many doses wasted.
In Pharmacy Week held from June 26 to July 2, the council will campaign for patients to take their prescribed dosages, obtain accurate information from pharmacists and not waste medicines and money, said council president Thida Ningsanon.
Pharmacist Sirirat Tanpichat said the 54community visit found elderly patients with diabetes and high blood pressure wasting large amounts of medicine prescribed to them, with 90 per cent not taking the medicines as instructed by doctors.
Pharmacist Wutthirat Thammawuth said patients' failing to take antibiotics in prescribed dosages (in 57 days) could also cause drug resistance, while the use of expired medicines could cause kidney failure.