TANZANIA
may soon get rid of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) if the newly launched AMR
National Action Plan is fully implemented.
The plan was launched on
Friday by the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health, Community
Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Dr Mpoki Ulisubisya.
Among other things, the
plan aims at improving awareness and understanding on AMR through effective
communication, education and training as well as strengthening knowledge and
evidence base through surveillance and research.
Other objectives of the
newly launched plan according to Dr Ulisubisya, is to reduce infection through
effective sanitation, hygiene and infection prevention measures, optimizing the
use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health.
“This plan also seeks to
develop the economic case for sustainable development that takes accounts of
the needs of all countries and to increase investment in new medicines,
diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions,’’ he said, just few
minutes before launching the plan.
The document further
specifies the establishment of the National AMR Coordinating Committee, the
technical working groups, the secretariat and the AMR focal point. It further
describes the implementation structure at different levels. The AMR National
Action Plan, after a two-day symposium on MNR, brought together medics,
researchers and other stakeholders in the health sector held in Dar es Salaam.
The symposium was
jointly organised by the government through the Ministry of Community
Development, Gender, Elders and Children in collaboration with the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and the Health Promotion and System Strengthening (HPSS)
Project dubbed ‘Tuimarishe Afya’ funded by the Swiss
Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC), implemented by the Tropical and
Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH).
The symposium which
featured presentations focusing on AMR from a variety of angles was followed by
working sessions that aimed at raising awareness on AMR and translate evidence
into policy and action to effectively address the threat of AMR in Tanzania and
handle antibiotics with care. AMR is a serious problem in the human health care
and agricultural sector, according to the global report on AMR published by WHO
in 2014.
A decrease in
effectiveness among antimicrobials is leading to an unnecessary high morbidity
and mortality rates and a great loss of resources globally. According to the
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Muhammad Bakari, the newly launched AMR
National Action Plan is in line with the Global Action Plan, addressing the
area of awareness, communication, education, surveillance system, laboratory
capacity, research and development, infection prevention and control as well as
health waste management.
“In Tanzania, awareness
on AMR is very low among consumer groups and civil society, even though they do
play a crucial role in combatting AMR, thus, we need a way to target behaviour
of all factors that contribute to misuse of antimicrobials, especially by
involving communities,’’ said Prof Bakari.
The Acting WHO
Representative, Dr Richard Banda, said AMR was one of the threats to global
health and that it endangers human development.
“Common infections are
becoming resistant to the antimicrobial medicines that result in longer illness
and more deaths,’’ he said. According to
Dr Banda, if left unchecked, AMR was likely to make common dental and surgical
procedures risky and infections more difficult to treat.
“This year, the World Antibiotics
Awareness Week will be commemorated from 13 to 19 November. WHO is encouraging
member states, partners and the public in general to join this campaign and
help raise awareness of antibiotic resistance,’’
he noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment