Misuse of corticosteroids is prevailing in Madhya Pradesh. Steroids are prescribed for quick relief of bronchopneumonia, bronchitis, brochiolitis, fever, temperature of any cause and, also to make the child chubby. When the parents watch the relief of the child by such medicine, they recommend it to their neighbors and relatives and also publicise the practitioner who has given it. They also start keeping it as a household remedy, without knowing the dose and method of tapering and the long term harms of it on the adrenal and the effect of sudden withdrawal. And while approaching to me or some other practitioners for some other ailment they show the strip/bottle to us very proudly that what magic drug is Betamethasone? Because it is doing magic in wheezing etc. without the consultation of the doctor.

Here in this area of Madhya Pradesh there is no agency to control the dispensing of drugs without prescription. At the same time, cash memos are issued to only one out of thousand customers and that too to the persons who need reimbursement and by the way if some asks for the cash memo he has to wait for hours for it/refused to sell medicine.