AMR major health challenge, Centre for non-rational use of

Terming Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as the number one public health challenge before the world, the government today made a strong pitch for non-rational use of antibiotics.
"AMR has emerged as the number one public health challenge faced by the world today. The first step in addressing the problem of AMR is to avoid the need for antibiotics at all in the first place," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said while inaugurating a three-day international conference on combating AMR.
"This is best done through improved water and sanitation, in the absence of which proliferation of diarrhoeal diseases results in inappropriate antibiotic use," he said.

AMR including antibiotic resistance, is the resistance of a microbe to an antimicrobial medication that used to be effective in treating or preventing an infection caused by that microbe.
It threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
Pointing out the "grave" economic consequences countries across the world were facing due to non-rational use of antibiotics, the Minister said "India is committed to combating AMR. However, a collective action is required by all stakeholders within a country and by all countries within a region. India, will be very happy to work with other member States towards this common goal".

He also said an exercise to map health facilities in the private and public sectors has been undertaken for preparing a "database of determinants and impacts of non-rational use of antibiotics."

Nadda said through 'Swacch Bharat' programme, the government has taken active steps to improve hygiene and sanitation and reduce the environmental spread of pathogens.
Nadda said through 'Mission Indradhanush' India has set itself an ambitious goal of increasing routine immunisation coverage to 90 per cent within a few years.
The Minister said the complexity of AMR is "fuelled" by numerous stakeholders who include patients, doctors who prescribe medicines, pharmacists who dispense them, the industry which manufactures, the government which regulates, research organisations which innovate and the animal and agricultural sector which contribute to the food chain among others.

"Given this scenario, it is imperative that all stakeholders connected with AMR contribute to pave the way for effective action to combat it.
Health Minister of Bhutan Tandin Wangchuk, Health Minister
of Nepal Ram Janam Chaudhary, Health Minister of Maldives Mohamed Habeeb, Regional Director WHO-SE Region Poonam Khetrapal Singh, and Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director General, WHO were also present on the occasion.
Nadda said "The Ministry has undertaken an exercise for mapping health facilities in private and public sectors across the country which will be completed in the next three years."
"This shall provide a useful database to analyse the various determinants and impacts of non-rational use of antibiotics," Union Health secretary B P Sharma said.

Noting that by 2050, AMR will contribute to around 10 million deaths worldwide, Poonam Khetrpal Singh said urgent action is needed to combat AMR globally and it will need policy commitment from the governments, sustained investment, technical assistance and regional cooperation.
Community-based surveillance will play a very "major" role in finding solutions to anti-TB drug resistance and other viral diseases, DG Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Saumya Swaminathan said, adding that there is a need to study how resistance spreads and what are the drivers for AMR.
Mohamed Habeeb, MoS Health, Maldives said that awareness programme for containment of AMR is the need of the hour.

Terming AMR as a public "health challenge and priority", Bhutan Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk said inappropriate use of antibiotics is leading to high mortality and morbidity resulting in serious social and economic consequences.
Nepal Health Minister Ram Janam Chaudhary said his government will be happy to extend cross-border collaboration to tackle AMR.
Nadda also launched the "Medicines with the Red Line" media campaign which will create awareness about rational usage of medicines which carry a red line on their strip. He also unveiled the 'Infection Control Policies for Hospitals' handbook.