The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), in collaboration with the Centre for Health Research and Innovation (CHRI), an affiliate of global nonprofit organisation PATH in India, and multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GSK, has launched a district-level initiative to promote the rational use of antibiotics and the safe disposal of unused and expired medicines, officials said on Friday.
Around 76 people, including civic medical officers, zonal health officials, biomedical waste management experts, CHRI representatives and metropolitan surveillance unit (MSU) officials, attended the workshop held at Balasaheb Thackeray Kaladalan in Swargate on July 28.
Mahesh Zagade, former Maharashtra principal secretary, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and the chief guest, described irrational use of antibiotics as a “crime against humanity” and cautioned that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could become one of the biggest public health emergencies if corrective measures are not taken in time.
The workshop also marked the launch of PMC’s community-led safe disposal plan for unused medicines.
Dr Vishal Kulkarni, professor and head of microbiology at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, said around 1.29 million global deaths were directly linked to AMR in 2019.
Presenting findings from a public survey, Dr Sumit Deole said only 2% of respondents had received guidance on antimicrobial resistance and the safe disposal of medicines.
{{/usCountry}}Presenting findings from a public survey, Dr Sumit Deole said only 2% of respondents had received guidance on antimicrobial resistance and the safe disposal of medicines.
{{/usCountry}}Health officials from the Maharashtra government’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Bureau outlined strategies for behaviour change communication. RNisarg Foundation representatives presented the upcoming green pharmacy initiative and a reverse-chain model for collecting and safely disposing of expired medicines.