Sir, - In her examination of the French health system, Maev-Ann Wren highlighted the very substantial use of pharmaceuticals in that country. This was regarded as an achievement, if you like a surrogate marker of access to good healthcare.
The reverse is, in fact, the case. For example, France has the highest consumption of antibiotics in the EU, with 36 daily doses per 1,000 people per day. This use has a very direct bearing on the extremely high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in France.
The World Health Organisation and the European Union have both highlighted the over use of antibiotics as one of the major public health threats to the developed world. Furthermore, most drugs have side effects and their use at all times must be subjected to a risk benefit analysis. Is the likely benefit of treating my patient with this drug in excess of the risk of side effects?
To suggest over-use of pharmaceuticals as a positive thing is at best misleading and at worst dangerous. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Edmond Smyth, Consultant Microbiologist, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.