The State Drugs Control department will launch Operation Amrith (Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention for Total Health) to check antibiotics abuse in the State.
This initiative will be implemented with public participation. People can pass on information on pharmacies selling antibiotics without prescription to the Drugs Control department, a statement issued by the office of the Health Minister said on Friday on Friday. This initiative will be an example of participatory antimicrobial stewardship, wherein the public can play a major role.
A special squad deployed by the Drugs Control department will be covertly monitoring the sale of antibiotics.
Pharmacies will have to store the correct details of antibiotics they sell. Pharmacies will also have to display a board on the premises that antibiotics will not be sold without prescription. Those pharmacies which sell antibiotics without proper prescriptions from clinical practitioners will have to face strict action, the statement said.
The Health department is on a drive to completely stop over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without prescriptions by the end of 2024. Irrational use of antibiotics can adversely affect the health of a person, apart from the fact that it can lead to microorganisms which are resistant to antibiotics.
The World Health Organisation considers antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to be a silent pandemic. It is estimated that if the current levels of antibiotics abuse continue undeterred, by 2050, AMR would have claimed at least one crore lives across the globe.
The Health department is also planning initiatives to create awareness amongst the medical fraternity of the dangers of AMR and to persuade doctors not to prescribe antibiotics unless necessary.
The public needs to be aware that unnecessary use of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription as well as consuming antibiotics without following the proper dos and don’ts can also lead to AMR.
