London: In a development of particular relevance to India, family doctors in the UK will now have to refuse prescribing antibiotics to patients for coughs, colds and ear infections.

The measure is part of strict new guidelines announced yesterday for general practitioners (GPs), who are estimated to have written 38 million prescriptions for antibiotics last year at a cost of £175 million to the British National Health Service (NHS).

The NHS rationing body, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is now directing doctors in the UK not to prescribe antibiotics to patients suffering from minor illnesses such as an ear infection, sore throat, tonsillitis, a cold, sinus infection, cough or bronchitis.

Doctors in the UK are known to routinely prescribe antibiotics for common respiratory infections such as sore throats, under pressure from patients, who are "angered" if refused treatment.

ILLUSTRATION / SAMEER PAWAR

Nice will now direct doctors to advise patients to stay at home and rest while taking pain killers because the drugs are often not necessary and do not work against many of the infections, apart from contributing to the spread of super bugs, as they encourage infections to become resistant to the drugs.

Yesterday's guidelines come on the heels of the launch by the British Health Secretary of a major advertising campaign telling patients the drugs would not help cure a cough or cold.

It is also believed that treatment with antibiotics makes people vulnerable to gut infections, such as Clostridium difficile, which can be fatal, particularly in the elderly.

Prescriptions for respiratory illnesses account for almost two-thirds of all antibiotics in GP surgeries in Britain.

While framing the new guidelines, the British authorities accept that they may "dismay" those who have become accustomed to expect treatment for minor illnesses, but advise doctors that they should reassure patients that antibiotics are not needed immediately because they will make little difference to symptoms and may have side effects.

They say doctors should ask patients to return if they become worse or their problem does not clear up on its own. Alternatively doctors could issue a prescription for the patient to submit at a later date if the symptoms deteriorate or continue for more than a week.

The guidance says doctors should give antibiotics to children under two with an infection in both ears, children who have discharge from the ears and patients who have tonsillitis combined with other problems.

They also recommend antibiotics or immediate further testing to elderly patients or those with symptoms that suggest a serious illness or complications such as pneumonia, or if they are at high risk of complications.

The new British guidelines should provide food for thought to our Indian doctors, central and state governments and other medical bodies even though they may anger our antibiotics manufacturers.

(Source: The Daily Telegraph)