A medical expert, Dr. Nuhu Sule, has recommended that specific punishment be outlined for persons who indulge in self-medication.

Sule, who made the recommendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday, said such a measure was desirable considering the devastating effect of self-medication

He observed that more people had imbibed the habit of taking medicines without subjecting themselves to proper diagnosis, hence the need for a law that would stipulate punishment to serve as deterrence.

“Self-medication is the practice of an individual user available medications or substances to treat self-diagnosed symptoms or conditions."

“In general, the practice of self-medication applies to any ailment or condition that a person may treat without the help of a healthcare professional."

” Potential risks of self-medicating in serious health conditions include incorrect self-diagnosis, increased risk of drug or supplement interactions, incorrect choice of therapy, as well as the risk of dependence and abuse,” he said.

Sule, who is a Physician with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, noted that people seemed to consider self-medication as a ‘shortcut’ to treatment.

According to him, such a gamble can result in a high cost of intervention should matters degenerate.

He, therefore, advised people to shun the practice to avoid any adverse effects on their health.