National action plan for antibiotics regulation coming

Health authorities are set to roll out a national action plan by this year’s end to combat the misuse of antibiotics.

On the sidelines of a pharmacy symposium on Sunday, Acting Chief Pharmacist in the Ministry of Health Sookdeo Singh told the News Room that there is quite a number of systems that have not been fully implemented as yet.

With antibiotic dispensation not being regulated as needed, the Ministry of Health is trying to implement systems that can take corrective actions.

“By law in this country, it is required that before a pharmacist can dispense any antibiotics, they must have a legal prescription from a physician, a medic in the government system, or dentist.

“Without a prescription from these professionals, it is illegal to dispense antibiotics,” Singh shared.

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to antimicrobial resistance.

Pharmacies can be shut down for selling antibiotics over-the-counter – Health Minister

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that antimicrobial resistance, or AMR for short, occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites are able to change overtime, making it harder for medicine to treat the diseases they cause.

Notably, the WHO says AMR is a natural process that manifests in genetic changes of pathogens.

However, the WHO also notes, “Its (AMR’s) emergence and spread is accelerated by human activity, mainly the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials to treat, prevent or control infections in humans, animals and plants.”

The local authorities have been trying to arrest this situation.

“Pharmacists were blamed, especially in the hinterland areas where doctors are not available. There are times when people had to make decisions, which probably broke the law, so we are trying to address that,” Singh said.

According to Singh, there has already been some improvement with the issue, as some pharmacies refuse to sell certain medication without a prescription.

“We have started improving. The minister is very big on it. He told some pharmacists that they will be closing down their business if they do not comply. We have seen some drastic steps already.”