The Global Context: One of the big events in the global health policy in the coming year is the United Nations High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance scheduled for September 2024 [1]. There is undeniable merit in categorizing antimicrobial resistance as one of the top-ten global threats, and the proposed breadth and urgency of action are highly required.
“Worldwide AMR is estimated as directly causing 1.27 million deaths and contributing to a further 4.9 million deaths per year, making antibiotic-resistant infections more deadly than HIV/AIDS or malaria. But AMR is also a serious threat to food security (SDG2) because it increases the loss of animal lives due to untreatable infections and raises the cost of animal health care. …. The economic toll of AMR is expected to result in a GDP drop of at least $3.4 trillion annually by 2030 and push 24 million more people into extreme poverty (SDG1).” 1–3. But progress has been slow with only 27% of nations report effective implementation of the plan.
Though a world-wide threat, its adverse consequences are far worse in Low- and Middle-Income Countries( LMICs) and within this category, India has the highest burden of the problem 4. The complexities of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in LMICs stem from a variety of factors, including the practices of healthcare professionals, patient behaviours regarding antimicrobial usage, and the supply chains of antimicrobials within the population. Contributing elements may encompass inappropriate prescription practices, insufficient patient education, limited access to diagnostic facilities, unauthorized sales of antimicrobials, inadequacies in drug regulatory mechanisms, and the non-human use of antimicrobials, such as in animal products 5.