GP and PP

Sir.
            I was interested in Dr. Muhammad Ilyas’s Editorial (Nov. 1981 Journal) Rheumatic Fever, Problems in prevention. He is very right in saying that Family Physicians arc hesitant to use Penicillin in their Clinics. I know many of them who have stopped injecting Penicillin altogether. I was surprised to know that reaction with PP is 0.19%. I do not know if there are any statistics available for Pakistan, but from personal experience I can say that it has very much increased during the past decade and is still increasing. Sensitivity Tests, etc. etc., can be carried out in tile 1-lospital where in case of a nusnap only the Hospital is responsible which is sheltered by the Police and Government. But in Family Physician’s Clinic who is single handed and patient’s attendents who are always armed and mostly uneducated can do anything in anger and endanger his career and reputation and even life. Even the educated, if they know that there could be chances of reaction, always insist on some substitute. I propose a PP Cell in a hospital where all such cases should he referred. In this way patients will not he deprived of the benefits of penicillin and data could also he collected.

Muhammad Nisar,
Family Physician, Peshawar.