05/09/2026
We keep telling people, “Stop self-medicating”… but then, what should they do? 🤔
Yesterday, a question was raised about AMR that I believe many of us often avoid.
We keep telling people not to self-medicate.
✓ Don't take antibiotics without a prescription.
✓ Don't assume every fever is malaria.
✓ Don't treat yourself without proper diagnosis.
And honestly, these messages are scientifically very correct and important.
But during our ongoing Youth & Early Career AMR Training Programme, our participants raised questions that made me pause and think.
⁉️ One participant shared the story of a friend who wasn't feeling well. She had been exposed to mosquito bites and immediately assumed it was malaria. Without any laboratory tests, she bought antimalarial drugs and combined them with antibiotics.
⁉️ Another question then came up:
But what if someone genuinely cannot afford to go to the hospital?
Not everyone has money for consultation, laboratory tests, transportation and treatment.
🤔 For some people, the local medicine vendor is the closest and most affordable option available to them.
So, when we say, “Don't self-medicate,” what exactly is the alternative for that person?
⁉️ Should they sit at home and watch their condition get worse? 🤔
⁉️ Should they borrow money?
⁉️ And what if borrowing money isn't even an option?
The conversation became even more interesting when we began talking about treatment in hospitals.
Because, let's be honest, sometimes treatment also begins based on symptoms while awaiting laboratory results.
So where exactly do we draw the line?
These are conversations we need to start having more honestly.
‼️Because perhaps people are not simply refusing to change their behaviour.
‼️Perhaps, for some people, the choices we consider “wrong” are the only choices they feel they have.
And maybe that is why awareness alone is not always enough.
There is something deeper here.
Something we need to understand about people's realities.
✓ About how we communicate.
✓ About the choices available to communities.
✓ And about what truly needs to change if we genuinely want to see behavioural change.
As our Youth & Early Career AMR Training Programme continues, the discussions will continue too. With each module, we will gradually unpack some of these realities, explore different perspectives and perhaps begin to discover that addressing AMR may require much more than simply telling people what not to do.
For now, I will leave you with this question:
⁉️If we want people to stop self-medicating, what realistic alternative are we giving them⁉️
