Representative image of antibiotics lined up on a medicine shelf
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday released a public notice raising awareness on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
India is one of the countries most affected by AMR, which is among the top three direct or indirect causes of death. AMR occurs when microorganisms grow resistant to medication due to the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture, veterinary services and human medicine.
Prof Swetavalli Raghavan, Head of Innovation and Government Affairs for the Royal Society of Chemistry in South Asia, in association with the Drugs Control Department, developed an AMR sensitisation programme which reached 17,000 pharmacists and pharmacology students.
Rao also conducted a ‘test-purchase’ drive where college students went to 105 pharmacies in the city to buy antibiotics over the counter. They found that 80% of the pharmacies dispensed these drugs without a proper prescription or a licensed pharmacist. The minister directed the Drugs Control Department to take strict action against any violators of the Drugs and Cosmetics, Act, 1940, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.