SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 13: The Jharkhand chapter of the Junior Doctors Network (JDN) has called on state and central health authorities to take urgent steps to curb the rampant use of antibiotics and preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments against infectious diseases.
Dr Sushil Kumar, Chairman of JDN Jharkhand and a Standing Committee member of the national IMA-JDN body, expressed concern over the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). “Antimicrobials are essential medicines used to prevent and treat infections, but their excessive and frequent use renders them ineffective,” he said.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Dr Kumar warned, “Due to rampant misuse, many antibiotics are now resistant. A time may come when most antibiotics fail to combat infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens.”
He further cautioned that the current trend signals the onset of a “silent and deadly pandemic”, driven by superbugs resistant to all known antimicrobials. Such a scenario, he said, could lead to widespread mortality and severely impact the GDPs of developing countries.
In a memorandum submitted to both the state and central health departments, Dr Kumar cited alarming data on the mortality associated with AMR. Global surveys show that one in five deaths caused by AMR occurs in children under the age of five.
According to a 2019 survey, India reported 297,000 deaths directly caused by AMR, with a further 1,042,500 deaths associated with AMR complications. Dr Kumar noted that the mortality rate from multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in India stands at approximately 13.1%. Infections with MDR pathogens are also linked to a two- to threefold increase in mortality.
He also referenced the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on AMR, endorsed in 2015, and India’s own national action plan released in 2017.
“If this issue is not addressed with urgency, I will raise it at various platforms at both the state and national levels,” Dr Kumar said.
