AMR Containment Strategies Must Be Urgently Integrated: Centre

This includes reducing hospital-acquired infections by improving infection prevention and control and promoting responsible antimicrobial use across human and animal health sectors

New Delhi: India has reaffirmed its commitment to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level meeting on AMR, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

Addressing the gathering of global leaders, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel called for urgently integrating AMR containment strategies in various health programmes.

Patel also highlighted the urgent need for global cooperation to address the growing threat of AMR.

“AMR poses a critical threat to global public health undermining decades of progress made in the field of modern medicine,” said Patel.

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines. This leads to infections becoming difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.

“Urgent integration of AMR containment strategies into the various health programmes” is the need of the hour, the MoS added.

She called for the inclusion of AMR strategies in programmes that focus “on pandemic preparedness, health system strengthening and universal health coverage with the focus of resource utilisation more on prevention and mitigation than surveillance”.

The Union Minister also highlighted India's significant strides in combating AMR since the launch of its National Action Plan (NAP AMR) in April 2017.