A new National Plan for Anti-microbial Resistance has been drafted.
The two day AMR consultation has been a success and stakeholders are now looking at putting their plan in to action.
The last two days has been constructive for these stakeholders and their fight against antimicrobial resistance.
“When you talk about AMR agents you are talking about antibiotics, anti-fungal, antivirals, anti-parasitics those are big list so its no only antibiotics. So there is a lot of things that we really need to look at to understand the impact of AMR in this country,” said chief pharmacist Apolosi Vosanibola.
The last decade has seen our health sector face difficulties addressing this AMR.
“The resistance is a natural phenomenon. Bacteria will keep on developing its protective mechanisms against antibiotics but what we are trying to do is we reduce the rate of assistance,” Vosanibola said.
“So what has happened in time the bugs have become stronger the drugs that we have used are becoming weaker,” said CWM hospitals physician Dr. Ravi Naidu.
A clear outcome from the consultation is the need to create mass awareness.
However, for the stakeholders the last two days has worked out well in ironing out some issues.
“So it doesn’t involve getting new drugs but it involves making ourselves more efficient and more proactive in terms of infection control and using the drugs that we have at the moment,” added Dr. Naidu.
“The Ministry of Agriculture’s role at this consultation is to make sure that there is a tight coordination between activities of the human health sector and the animal health sector to make sure that the combined effect of both sectors are working towards the same goal,” highlighted Dr. Sandy McLachlan, the principal veterinary officer, of the ministry of agriculture.
Next month, stakeholders will look to unveil the national plan.