Poisons blitz again

Press, 10 April 1978, Page 6

Poisons blitz again

A three-week campaign to reduce accidental poisonings starts today. A similat campaign bv the Chemists Guild last year attacked the problem of poisonings of children under five years of age. Poisonings in that agegroup had dropped by 10 per cent last year, instead of rising as they had in the past, the Pharmacy Conference tn Christchurch was told at the week-end. ’Over-all poisonings were down by 5.5 per cent, and actual deaths from poisonings in all age groups fell b l . a remarkable 36.5 pet cent,” said the guild’s presi dent (Mr A. E. Trappitt)The presen campaign will include distribution ol almost 500.000 preventior brochures, along with special safety display materia Mr Bruce Barnard, a chem Ist. told the conference yesterday that the amount of medicine used in mans therapies, and the risk oi toxic drug reactions, woulc be reduced bv new method of getting drugs into th< body. •ft is believed that mans of the problems of dnq therapy are related to th<

>ilimited and primitive means: . available for the admints- ’ tration of powerful and) ’ frequently toxic pharmaceui'ticals,” Mr Barnard said. | Conventional tablets and in-1 [jections put drugs into the ’ i bloodstream in an uncon- ; trolled way, *nd throughout) -'the body, but new technoloy o'was showing ways to release! d medication gradually to; “'specific parts of the body) e I needing it. ■-I For example, a new birth-I s control device confined re-1 leases of female hormones; to the uterus, instead of; e , spreading them through the d bloodstream. i- In another conference) 11 address, the Director-General >r of Health (Dr H. J. H. Hiddiestone) said that his de-’ ! part men t wanted health pro-1 Ilfessionals to work more) )f> closely together. n “Different health workers *-1 develop greater and greater all individuality in their knowledge and practice,” he said, t- “In isolation, their practice :e will seldom be completely ineffective. iv! “Inadequate diagnosis, in>f appropriate investigative d effort and, worst of all. fills informed therapeutic zeal leican only lead to erratic per-, formance.” iy' Dr Hiddlestone said the ig growth of community health! lei services would reduce the;

I demand for hospital care, ' and restrict hospital expansion. Integration of both I services would happen steadily.