Ever wondered why it takes longer for us to recover from the flu or colds compared to 10 years ago? It's because the viruses and bacteria have developed an immunity to over-prescribed antibiotics.

Having had a chance to live in a developed country for awhile, I've become to realise that Malaysian general practitioners over-prescribe antibiotics even for minor illnesses like the common cold.

In developed countries, doctors will let our natural immune system fight off the bugs as a first resort. In the West, I've had to struggle with a bad flu for three to four weeks before the doctor would prescribe any antibiotics - very reluctantly at that.

Moreover Western GPs will stress to death the need to complete the course even if I was getting better. Reason: an uncompleted antibiotic course allows germs and viruses to mutate into new strains resistant to the antibiotic. Antibiotics are prescribed only as a last resort when the
illness proves to be serious and our natural immune system is unable to fend it off on its own.

So why do our local GPs keep over-prescribing antibiotics and other unnecessary medicines? It's because the government has capped their consultation fee to such a low level (RM10) that GPs find it necessary to supplement their income by prescribing unnecessary antibiotics.

I would rather the doctor be given the flexibility to determine his/her consultation fees so that they need not feel the need to supplement their incomes by prescribing unnecessary drugs.

What about low- income families which benefit from the low consultation fees? Won't they be worse off?

Well, aren't they being charged anyway for unnecessary medicines? It does not make any difference how the average RM35 - RM50 per trip to the GP is broken down between consultation fees and medicine charges. That's what the consumer has to pay anyway - low income or otherwise.

But I would rather the GP be freed of the need to prescribe unnecessary medicines just to make his/her own ends meet. This practice is a threat to the public health not only because we are taking these strong drugs unnecessarily but we are also effectively reducing their effectiveness by allowing new and more resistant strains of viruses to develop.

Recently, my three-year-old daughter developed an overnight swelling in one of her eyes to a point she could not open it. Our local GP prescribed not one but two courses of antibiotics - this for a three-year-old child (most Western GPs would hesitate at prescribing any to under-fives). He even claimed that she might develop meningitis if she did not take the prescribed drugs.

Due to our experience overseas, we were skeptical and sought a second opinion with another doctor. He suggested warm compresses and close monitoring over the next two days. My daughter has since recovered without taking any of the strong antibiotics prescribed by the first GP.

So I ended up paying two doctors. Or I could have paid the first doctor a higher consultation fee so that he would not endanger my daughter's health by prescribing the wrong medication. This is false economy and the Health Ministry should allow a higher maximum for GPs' consultation fees.

I hope our health minister is taking note. In the US, both our local GPs and the health minister would have come under a class-action suit.