HYDERABAD: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Medical Commission have issued an advisory to all states for being wary of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and hospital infections.
Warning from these top medical bodies follows reports of too many infections emerging post Covid-19. The problem has been compounded by enormous misuse of antibiotics during the second wave of Coronavirus pandemic.
In this regard, experts from health, veterinary, agriculture, pollution control and environment sectors have called on Telangana government to frame the action plan to deal with the situation in state before efficacy of existing antibiotics gets exhausted. States of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi have already developed their action plans for antimicrobial resistance.
Government technical adviser Dr T. Gangadhar, a professor at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, said, "Antibiotic misuse, lack of clean water and sanitation, and inadequate infection prevention and control are major drivers of AMR in the state. There needs to be a multi-sector plan to contain AMR. Diagnostic hubs have been created in each district of Telangana with all necessary microbiological services, which can be utilised to monitor AMR at district levels. A nodal centre for data collection and reporting at state level can coordinate these activities."
The major thrust of any action plan has to be on preventive methods in healthcare sector. Agriculture sector must ensure no antibiotics are fed to poultry. At environmental level, effluents and sewage must be treated and water bodies must be kept clean.
Incidentally, the National Action Plan for AMR had been launched in 2017 by the Centre. Each state has to prepare its own action plan, as health is a state subject.
