Pharmacist eyes public education on antibiotic resistance
The week-long festival will be at Subrail Park in Labasa from August 18.
The only pharmacist vying for the Miss Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North crown intends to advocate on health-related issue. Naima Shazmeen, of Korowiri, Labasa, the youngest of two siblings, recently joined the Labasa Hospital and was selected during an audition to represent the Labasa Divisional Hospital.
The week-long festival will be at Subrail Park in Labasa from August 18.
Her topic is ‘Antibiotic resistance-our health at risk! let’s stop it’.
“Antibiotic resistance is one of the major threats to the public’s health,” Ms Shazmeen said.
“It is causing diseases that were once treatable to become untreatable causing lethal infections. As a pharmacist I get to see the use of antibiotics are increasing and people are getting resistant.”
Antibiotic resistance is declared as a global crisis by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“In developed countries, people are getting resistant to the last line antibiotics and people are dying of simple infections,” she said.
“Fiji is fortunate because we have not reached this crisis. However, just to prevent or avoid a similar crisis, Ministry of Health has laid a strategy to prevent this from happening and people dying.”
“That strategy is to advocate on how to use antibiotics wisely. I also feel that the North is fortunate as it has not reached us too. And I think that this is a good platform to advocate on antibiotic resistance.
“I would like to experience the exposure of a pageant and at the same time enlighten people of the North on the importance of using antibiotics wisely.” Should she win, she intends to organise campaigns to create awareness on antibiotics resistance and how the people of North can help her combat the issues.” Her hobbies are dancing, reading and watching various television series.