ANTIDOTES;

AVAILABILITY AND THEIR COMPARISON WITH NATIONAL ESSENTIAL DRUG LIST IN DIFFERENT HOSPITALS OF LAHORE.

Abstract

Introduction: To assess the current status of antidotes in hospital formulary
& their comparison with list of antidotes mentioned in National Essential Drug List (NEDL).
Evaluation of treatments for poisoned patients and establishment of Poison Control Center (PCC).
Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Different Government and Private Hospitals
of Lahore. Period: 02 months (August 2015 - September 2016). Material and Methods: A
detailed questionnaire was prepared for the collection of data. Data was illustrated as graphs
and tables. Results: All antidotes mentioned in NEDL are present not in a single hospital of
Lahore. Atropine (87%), Flumazenil (80%), Magnesium Sulphate (80%) were present in majority
of the hospitals. On the contrary, Penicillamine, Obidoxime and Sodium Thiosulphate were
obsolete in all hospitals. Although antidotes were not fully available in both government and
private hospitals of Lahore but the situation is worse in case of private hospitals. Conclusion:
High cost and late procurement are the reasons for Delay in treatment of poisoned patients.
Not a single Poison Control Center is present in Lahore. Affirmative actions should be taken to
improve the accessibility of antidotes in hospitals. There is emergent need to establish Poison
Control Center.