The Pharmacy Department at Hamad General Hospital (HGH) recently organised a medication awareness campaign for patients highlighting medication management during Ramadan. The two-day event, took place at the Outpatient Department Building, HGH, and was supervised by Dr Muna Al Bakri, Acting Director of Pharmacy at HGH.
The campaign focused on educating patients who fast during Ramadan about the proper use of their prescribed medications during the Holy Month. The second day of the event saw a nurse from the Endocrinology Unit check the blood pressure and blood sugar levels of visiting patients during patient education sessions.
Dr Noora Malallah, Acting Assistant Director of Pharmacy at HGH, highlighted that the event was aligned to HMC’s commitment to delivering the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to each and every one of its patients. She said it aimed to educate patients on how to arrange the timings of medications and optimise their use during Ramadan, especially for patients with chronic and acute ailments.
A team of HGH pharmacists, together with volunteers, spoke to patients, particularly those with chronic diseases, advising them on the optimum use of medications. Patients were urged not to change medication timings without a proper consultation. The team explained to patients the significance of taking medication at the prescribed timings, noting that specific timings correlate to the physical and chemical properties of the medications.
Dr Malallah cautioned patients with chronic conditions, particularly those with diabetes, not to haphazardly change the timings of their medications, noting that doing so could cause hypoglycemia and other complications.
