Pharma Symbiosis, in collaboration with the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, has trained doctors, nurses, community health workers, pharmacy technicians, and other frontline health workers on the identification and management of respiratory infections.
The training also focused on antimicrobial resistance and the need for healthcare workers to ensure antibiotics are prescribed and used appropriately.
Speaking at the programme, the Brand Manager of Pharma Symbiosis, Oluwasefunmi Oreoluwa Oladapo, said strengthening primary healthcare was critical to improving health outcomes at the community level.
Oladapo said Pharma Symbiosis, an African multinational healthcare company with a presence in more than 20 countries, partnered with the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board because primary healthcare remained the closest point of contact between the health system and communities.
“We believe that the primary healthcare system is the closest hand of reaching out to the community. If you empower and strengthen the primary healthcare system, we can have healthier communities, healthier families, and healthier Nigerians,” he said.
He said the training equipped participants with practical tools to identify symptoms of respiratory infections, determine which patients could be managed at the primary healthcare level, and recognise cases requiring escalation or referral.
Oladapo said the training was particularly important given the burden of respiratory infections, especially among children under five.
He stressed the importance of distinguishing between viral and bacterial respiratory infections to prevent inappropriate treatment and unnecessary use of antibiotics.
According to him, viral respiratory infections may present with symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, low-grade fever, and body pains, but healthcare workers must assess the patient’s overall condition before determining the appropriate course of treatment.
Oladapo also drew attention to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, urging health workers to understand when antibiotics are necessary and how to select the appropriate treatment for bacterial infections.
He warned that indiscriminate use of antibiotics could accelerate resistance, making infections increasingly difficult to treat.
“We shared some basic things around tools that they can use in terms of identifying the symptoms, knowing when to escalate, when to refer, and knowing the fact that with antibiotic resistance, which is a threat to effective treatment, they need to know how to choose the right antibiotic and when,” he said.
Oladapo said Pharma Symbiosis hoped to build a long-term partnership with the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board beyond the training.
“We want to partner with them to ensure that indigenes and citizens of Oyo State can access the right medications, quality medications, which is our vision,” he said.
He added that the company understood the healthcare needs of Nigerian patients and was seeking to bring appropriate treatment options closer to communities.
The Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, warned healthcare workers against the irrational prescription and use of medicines, particularly antibiotics.
Olatunji, who was represented by Dr Adeyemi Adewole, said indiscriminate use of antibiotics could fuel antimicrobial resistance and ultimately make essential medicines ineffective.
He urged health workers to base prescriptions on proper diagnosis and scientific principles rather than experience, patient expectations, or the quantity of drugs being prescribed.
Olatunji cited concerns raised in an Integrated Supportive Supervision report over the routine addition of antibiotics to antimalarial treatment. He specifically cautioned against the indiscriminate use of powerful antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, where less potent medicines, including amoxicillin or ampiclox, might be adequate.
He also called on Medical Officers of Health to train their staff on rational drug use, warning that inappropriate use of last-line antibiotics could accelerate resistance and leave such medicines ineffective when they are genuinely needed.
Olatunji commended Pharma Symbiosis for organising the training without placing the financial burden on the board and expressed hope that the partnership would be strengthened and extended to other zones across Oyo State.
The training is expected to strengthen the capacity of frontline health workers to recognise respiratory infections early, determine appropriate treatment, identify patients requiring referral, and promote responsible antibiotic use.
The initiative also highlights the importance of strengthening primary healthcare as a first line of defence against common infections, while promoting more rational use of antibiotics to help curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
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