Muscat hosts high-level meet on AMR

Muscat, Nov 24: “Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) is a silent and invisible pandemic that cannot be overshadowed by other competing public health priorities,” said Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar as she spoke at the ministerial plenary panel of the Third Global High-Level Conference on Anti-Microbial Resistance in Muscat, Oman, on Thursday.

A total of 22 participants from more than 15 countries attended the conference. The event witnessed the launch of Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform on AMR by the Quadripartite Organizations.

Emphasizing the prevalence of AMR and its subsequent fatal effects, she highlighted that AMR is recognized as a global health threat with serious health, political and economic implications.

Dr. Pawar congratulated the UN General Assembly, WHO & member states on their focus on AMR, and said, “It is heartening to note that AMR has already been prioritized by UN General Assembly, WHO & member states” and also praised the aligned efforts by Quadripartite [FAO], [WHO], World Organization for Animal Health [WOAH] and UN Environment Programme [UNEP].

Focusing on the steps taken by India in battling AMR, MoS Health stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, various initiatives have been taken to address AMR. India organized an AMR conference in 2016 at New Delhi. She highlighted that countering AMR features prominently on the national health agenda and further mentioned that various initiatives undertaken by way of awareness & capacity building, laboratory strengthening, surveillance, infection prevention & control, antimicrobial stewardship and research on newer drugs, diagnostics and innovations have garnered political will at the highest level.

MoS Health highlighted the collaboration of Health Ministers of 11 Member States that led to the Jaipur Declaration on AMR in 2011, signifying their commitment and political support towards One Health approach for containment of AMR.

Dr. Pawar also said further action must be taken to synergize the momentum initiated by Global AMR Conference presently and upcoming high-level meeting on AMR at the United Nations General Assembly in 2024, which will serve to strengthen the political support at all levels.

Also present on this occasion were Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, QU Dongyu, Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Dr. Hilal Al Sabti, Minister of Health of Sultanate of Oman, Saoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries Wealth and Water resources of Sultanate of Oman, and Ernst Kuipers, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports, Netherlands, and other dignitaries also attended the event.