Self Medication in Rural Africa: The Nigerian Experience

Self medication in rural Africa has reached a crisis state, as people take anything, and even potentially toxic substances as remedies. Thus, this study investigated the self medication profile of the rural people of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of Southeastern Nigeria. Five hundred and fifty two out of seven hundred and thirty six persons which were randomly selected served with structured questionnaires, were interviewed. The study revealed that 99.4% relied on self medication, while 0.6% consulted physicians. A wide range of substances such as herbs, antibiotics, ash, kerosene, petrol, etc, are used as remedies, and no specific drugs are used for specific ailments, depicting a confusing state of folk medicine in rural Africa. Herbs (10.8%) and antibiotics (9.1%) can be used for the treatment of any of the identified sixteen ailments in the communities. The intervention of government to reduce poverty and provide adequate healthcare and education is recommended.