Not just a party drug: no ketamine means no surgery in some developing countries
China’s desire to tighten controls on the drug threatens surgery in many developing countries where it’s the only affordable option for anaesthesia
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
My supply of ketamine is under threat. I’m not a recreational drug taker. I’m an anaesthetist, and for me ketamine is medicine. In rural hospitals in Nigeria, injecting the drug is essential for pregnant women to have safe ceasareans, and for us to be able to insert IVs for fluids and attach the required monitors to children prior to an operation without a struggle. Some of my colleagues advocate the use of oral ketamine in soda for procedures in the emergency department. China's drive to place ketamine under international control at the United Nations would severely affect the supply and ketamine would become unavailable in more remote areas.
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