Government of India has given due cognizance to the problem of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has initiated various activities for containment of AMR as under :-

I. National Action Plan for containment of Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) was launched on 19th April, 2017, involving stakeholders from various ministries / sectors.

II. National Programme on Containment of AMR was initiated during the 12th Five Year Plan. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) coordinates this programme. Under the programme National AMR surveillance network of state medical colleges, labs(NARS-Net) have been established in order to generate quality data on AMR for seven priority bacterial pathogens of public health importance using WHONET software.

III. National Guidelines on Infection, Prevention and Control in Healthcare facilities were released in Jan, 2020. These guidelines have been shared with various stakeholders across the country to be used in training modules for country-wide trainings in a systematic manner.

IV. Under the programme, NCDC conducts AMR surveillance through a network of 30 state medical college laboratories in 25 states. The network is expanded across the country in a phased manner.

V. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) coordinates another AMR surveillance network of 20 laboratories located in tertiary care centres (both public and private) in the country.

VI. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMSP) activities: In order to promote rational use of antibiotics among the healthcare providers, a series of sensitization and training workshops have been organized in different healthcare facilities in the country for the benefit of the practicing clinicians. Standard treatment guidelines developed by NCDC for rational use of antibiotics have been made available to clinicians across the country.

VII. To create awareness among the public about AMR, various IEC activities like quiz competition in schools, participation in Perfect Health Mela, poster & quiz competition for healthcare workers at NCDC and the sites included in the NARS-Net during World Antibiotic awareness each year have been conducted to raise awareness about AMR. IEC material (audio /video /Print OD Media) to raise awareness about AMR and to prevent misuse of antibiotics has been made available on the website of NCDC for use by the States-UT governments and other stakeholders.

As per Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, draft notification on emission and discharge standards for Bulk Drug and Formulation (Pharmaceutical) Industries was notified on 23.01.2020. According to the ministry, thirty five suggestions were received from the associations, NGOs, individual experts and industry. Stakeholders consultation were made. Necessary information and research is not available for prescribing the appropriate norms for limiting the concentration of antibiotics, monitoring and compliance verification and testing protocols for effluents discharged from pharma industry.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.