{"id":775,"date":"2026-07-11T22:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T21:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=775"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T21:06:55","slug":"health-experts-and-students-warn-against-growing-trend-of-self-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=775","title":{"rendered":"Health Experts, and students Warn Against Growing Trend of Self Medication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Faith Andrew<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health professionals and students have raised concerns over the growing practice of selfmedication in Nigeria, warning that it is contributing to wrong diagnoses, drug misuse, delayed treatment and preventable deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concerns were expressed during separate interviews in Abraka, where a registered nurse Merritt Ovia, a 100 level Human Physiology student Osue Success Okeoghene, and another respondent, Mrs. Doris Ronta Esegine, called for greater public awareness and improved access to healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on the issue, Ovia described self medication as the use of medicines without a doctor’s prescription, or the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said many patients resort to treating themselves instead of seeking medical care, and only visiting hospitals when their conditions have become severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> The Price Of Distraction Onboard The Roller-Coaster Drive Of Campus Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Many patients arrive at the hospital after taking different drugs on their own for several days or even weeks, by the time they seek professional medical help, their conditions may have worsened significantly,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ovia, ignorance, poverty, inadequate healthcare services, long waiting hours in public hospitals and shortages of medical personnel are among the major factors driving the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that overcrowded government hospitals and limited numbers of healthcare workers often discourage patients from seeking professional treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our healthcare system faces many challenges, jn some public hospitals, very few doctors attend to a large number of patients, which makes many people prefer buying medicines on their own rather than waiting for medical attention,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Student House Faces Demolition Threat As Land Dispute Leaves DELSU Tenants Worried<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ovia also warned against administering medicines to children without professional advice, saying the practice could lead to overdose, underdose, drug abuse and other serious health complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She identified antibiotics as one of the most commonly misused medicines, explaining that indiscriminate use contributes to antimicrobial resistance, making infections more difficult and costly to treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She advised members of the public to seek medical attention whenever they experience symptoms of illness rather than relying on assumptions or recommendations from relatives and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing a student’s perspective, Okeoghene described self medication as treating an illness without consulting a qualified healthcare professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> DELSU Students Risk Health Amid Examination Pressure<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the practice exposes individuals to wrong diagnoses, incorrect dosages and harmful side effects
that may worsen existing health conditions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, self medication has become increasingly common because of the high cost of
healthcare, easy access to medicines, poverty, inadequate health education and advice from family
members and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Okeoghene recalled an incident in her community where a man reportedly died after combining modern
medicine with traditional remedies without seeking professional medical advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“I would like to see people avoid self medication, learn more about the medicines they take and seek
medical advice early from qualified healthcare professionals before using any medication,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Traders Still Counting Losses, Struggling To Rebuild Weeks After Devastating Fire Outbreak In Abraka\u2014 Investigation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She encouraged students to prioritise their health by resting, staying hydrated and consulting healthcare professionals whenever they feel unwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also speaking, Mrs. Doris Ronta Esegine urged Nigerians not to ignore unusual symptoms, stressing that illnesses considered minor could develop into serious medical conditions if left untreated, she advised the public to seek prompt diagnosis and treatment from qualified healthcare providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The respondents called for increased public health education, improved access to affordable healthcare services, and strict regulation of prescription of medicines, to reduce the growing dangers associated with self medication, they maintained that early consultation with qualified healthcare professionals, remains the safest and most effective way to prevent avoidable complications, and protect public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Faith Andrew Health professionals and students have raised concerns over the growing practice of selfmedication in Nigeria, warning that it is contributing to wrong diagnoses, drug misuse, delayed treatment and preventable deaths. The concerns were expressed during separate interviews in Abraka, where a registered nurse Merritt Ovia, a 100 level Human Physiology student Osue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,14],"tags":[31,25,33,28],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcorner","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-health","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions\/777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}