Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: In a bid to reduce suicides, the UK Government is planning to restrict the sale of overthe-counter drugs like paracetamol.
The Government’s decision is a part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy that was unveiled recently. UK ministers have pledge to bring down suicide rates in the country in two and a half years.
The strategy highlights that reduction in suicides have stalled since 2018. It also mentions a national alert system to highlight new suicide methods to colleges and schools.
At present, people are allowed to purchase a maximum of two packets of paracetamol medicine, which is 16 tablets of 500gm each, according to The Telegraph. With the new regulation, the government has asked the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to put further curbs on paracetamol purchase.
A study published by Cambridge University Press in 2018 said that most deaths occurring due to self-poisoning in the country are aided by over-the-counter drugs, such as paracetamol.
