After PM Modi's caution on Antibiotic resistance, NMC pledges nationwide push to curb overuse

"Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, mentioned a very important and sensible healthcare topic on antibiotic misuse in his Mann Ki Baat today... It requires not only enforcement but also increasing awareness of antibiotic misuse...The overuse of antibiotics must be prevented...The National Medical Commission is committed to working actively on these issues, and we will make sure that this message is spread across all NMC institutions across the country," Dr Abhijat Chandrakant Sheth said in a self-made video, reports ANI

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Medical Dialogues recently reported that, while citing a recent report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), PM Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat, said it has come to light that antibiotics are proving ineffective against many diseases like pneumonia and urinary tract infection. This is a matter of great concern for all of us.

He said the report noted that the "major reason for this is people's indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are not medicines that should be taken mindlessly. They should be used only on the doctor's advice. Nowadays, people have started believing that just taking a pill would cure all their problems. This is the reason, diseases and infections are proving to be too strong for these antibiotics. I urge all of you to refrain from using medicines at your own discretion. This is especially important when it comes to antibiotics. I would simply say: Medicines require guidance, and antibiotics require doctors. This practice will prove to be very helpful in improving your health."

Meanwhile, Dr Alok Thakar, former HOD, AIIMS, in a self-made video, said, "In today's program of 'Mann Ki Baat,' the PM has said a very impactful thing, which has been mentioned a few times before but has never been taken very seriously in our country... When you take antibiotics, which are in a low dose, whether it is beneficial or not, some of the germs become resistant. These same resistant microorganisms and germs, when they infect later, we will not have antibiotics to cure them... We have to use more toxic and more expensive antibiotics..."

Further, expressing his concern over the misuse of antibiotics, President of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bilaspur, Prof. (Dr.) Narendra Kumar Arora said, "...When antibiotics are used unnecessarily, they become ineffective the next time the patient needs them because the bacteria develop resistance to the antibiotic...The appeal by our Prime Minister for the rational use of antibiotics is very timely and extremely important for public health. I request the general public to use antibiotics only on the advice of a doctor. I also urge the government to ensure that antibiotics are not sold at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription. I request and appeal to our healthcare workers to use and prescribe antibiotics only rationally."

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