Central govt makes mandatory to write reasons for prescribing antibiotics

The Central government's directive asking doctors and medical associations to specify reasons for antibiotic prescriptions is geared towards fostering responsible and targeted antibiotic use. The initiative is crucial in preventing overprescription and inappropriate usage, which are major contributors to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance.

New Delhi: In a move to curb misuse of antibiotics or antimicrobial drugs in the country, the Central government has made it mandatory for doctors as well as all pharmacists to write exact reasons on their prescriptions while prescribing the drugs.

The government has also asked all the Pharmacist Associations in the country to dispense antibiotics only on the prescription of a qualified doctor. In an ‘urgent appeal’, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a wing under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has written letters to all doctors of medical colleges, medical associations and pharmacist associations in the country to stop the misuse of antibiotics.

“Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is one of the main reasons for the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. With few new antibiotics in the research and development pipeline, prudent antibiotic use is the only option to delay the development of resistance," a letter addressed to all doctors of medical colleges in the country said.

All three letters, which have been signed by the Director General of Health Services Atul Goel are in possession of ETV Bharat. Goel in his letter said that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health threats facing humanity.

“It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and 4.95 million deaths were associated with drug-resistant infections. AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It threatens the effective prevention and treatment of infections caused by resistant microbes, resulting in prolonged illness and a greater risk of death. Treatment failure also leads to longer periods of infectivity and prohibitively high cost of second-line drugs may result in failure to treat these in many individuals,” Goel pointed out.

The letter further stated that the medical colleges not only provide tertiary health care in the country, but also are hubs of the education of the younger generation of doctors. “This makes it important that the doctors at medical colleges set an example of judicious use of antimicrobials for the next generation of doctors, who will face this crisis in a much more severe form,” Goel stated.

It further stated that while pharmacists are being reminded to implement Schedule H and H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules and sell antibiotics only on valid prescriptions, it is important that doctors mention exact reasons for their prescriptions while prescribing antimicrobials.