Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s most pressing global health threats and could erode the progress made in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and many other infectious diseases.
Although AMR occurs naturally, many interrelated factors, including excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics, poor control practices, and infection prevention, contribute to its acceleration and spread. As a result, training and capacity building is needed for many stakeholders across health systems.
SIAPS Principal Technical Advisor Niranjan Konduri explained more in a Devex article written by Amy Lieberman. Earlier this year, the Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice published a paper co-authored by Konduri on SIAPS’ capacity-building approaches to strengthen health systems and reduce AMR. In addition, SIAPS recently launched a guide on building strong coalitions to defeat AMR.
The Devex article quoted Konduri as saying, “It is not just about shipping boxes of medicines or delivering medicines. That is just getting half the job done. Where we really need to be concerned, based on what has been going on lately, is the threat of antimicrobial resistance and the concerns of the global health security agenda.”
“We have done a lot of work on the appropriate use of medicines, making sure clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, community workers, midwives, all of these people under the rubric of health workers are well trained to appropriately dispense medicines.”
Read more in the Devex article and find the SIAPS guide on building coalitions for AMR containment here.
