Health experts have repeatedly cautioned that antimicrobial resistance is emerging as one of India’s most serious public health challenges
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged the growing threat of antibiotic resistance and urged people to stop using these drugs without medical advice, saying “antibiotics are not medicines that should be taken mindlessly”. Speaking in his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi cited a recent report by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that showed antibiotics are increasingly proving ineffective against common infections such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections. He said the trend should worry everyone.He pointed to indiscriminate consumption of antibiotics as a major driver of rising resistance and warned the belief that “one pill can cure everything” is making infections stronger than the drugs designed to treat them.Urging restraint, he appealed to citizens to avoid self-medication, particularly with antibiotics, and to consult doctors before taking such medicines. “Responsible use,” he said, “is essential not only for individual health but also to preserve effectiveness of life-saving drugs for society at large.”Modi said greater public awareness and discipline in medicine use are crucial to reversing the trend. “Following medical advice will prove helpful in improving your health,” he said. Health experts have repeatedly cautioned that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is emerging as one of India’s most serious public health challenges. ICMR has flagged irrational antibiotic use, often without prescriptions, as a key factor accelerating resistance, raising concerns that routine infections could become harder to treat.Adding clinical perspective, Dr Hitender Gautam, professor in department of microbiology at AIIMS, said antimicrobial resistance has become one of the most pressing global health threats of 21st century. “Indiscriminate use of antibiotics delays treatment, increases healthcare costs and forces doctors to shift to higher-end drugs with greater side effects, raising risk of serious illness and morbidity and mortality,” he said.Often described as a “silent pandemic”, AMR requires urgent action, he said. “Without preventive measures, projections suggest AMR could become one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide by 2050,” he added.
