BRITISH Health Secretary, Therese Coffey, is taking some heat off her embattled Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and drawing the ire of health professionals.
Coffey, who is Britain's newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, has been accused of "monumental stupidity" after it emerged that she told civil servants that she had given leftover antibiotics to a friend who was feeling unwell.
British Medical Association GP Committee member, Dr Richard van Mellaerts, told The Guardian that Coffey's approach to medicines use contrasted with authorities' policies to combat antimicrobial resistance.
"Sharing prescribed medications, particularly antibiotics, is not only potentially dangerous, but also against the law," he said.
"We would ask our Health Secretary to instead support us in encouraging good and safe prescribing.
"Antibiotics are a precious resource and should be prescribed only when absolutely necessary.
"Overusing antibiotics risks making them less effective, and makes some infections increasingly difficult to treat, which can then actually increase pressure on the health service as patients remain unwell."
Coffey's actions have temporarily drawn media scorn away from Truss's turbulent first few weeks as Prime Minister, which have been marked by economic concerns and the Pound plunging in value.
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