India, on Friday, called for immediate global cooperation to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stating that it poses a critical threat to global public health.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on AMR, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said AMR is undermining decades of progress made in the field of modern medicine.

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She called for urgent integration of AMR containment strategies into the various health programs including those focussed on pandemic preparedness, health system strengthening, and universal health coverage with the focus of resource utilisation more on prevention and mitigation than surveillance.

Highlighting India’s significant strides in combating AMR since the launch of its National Action Plan (NAP AMR) in April 2017, the minister cited the progress made in expanding surveillance networks both in the human and animal sectors, reducing hospital acquired infections by improving infection prevention and controlling and promoting responsible antimicrobial use across human and animal health sectors.

“Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) has been strengthened through comprehensive and country-wide training of healthcare workers. Sanitation, hygiene, and infection control in healthcare facilities have been improved through programmes under the Clean India Mission”, she said.

Patel also informed that a nationwide systematic and standardised surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) has been initiated in the country.

“Regulations are in place to ensure prescription-based sales of antimicrobials. To promote judicious use of antimicrobials, National Treatment Guidelines are updated on a regular basis,” she said.

The minister said India has developed an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) program to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and combat rising AMR and added that this program is tailored for resource-limited settings and is being adopted by many hospitals in the country.

“India has also prioritised inter-sectoral collaboration as part of its updated NAP-AMR 2.0, which includes budgeted action plans for each sector and well-defined monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The existing ‘One Health’ frameworks in the country are to be utilised to enhance coordination across human, animal, and environmental sectors in tackling AMR,” Patel said.

In addition to innovation, operational research to find solutions to reduce the impact of AMR on the environment has been prioritized, she said.

The minister lauded the efforts of member states of the UN in drafting the High-Level Ministerial Declaration on AMR and reaffirmed India’s commitment to fighting AMR through both national and global efforts. “India remains fully committed to addressing the AMR challenge through comprehensive sectoral and inter-sectoral efforts. By working together, we can mitigate the risks posed by AMR and safeguard the future of public health worldwide,” she added.