Health Ministry warns against overuse of antibiotics

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has carried out a weeklong awareness campaign on the careful use of antibiotics under the slogan “Antibiotics: Handle with Care.”

The activities of the World Antibiotic Awareness Week were organized by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the World Health Organization (WHO).
An official from the Ministry of Health told Arab News that the ministry has started these activities to raise awareness about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, as well as encouraging the public, health workers and policy makers to follow the best practices to avoid the detection of more cases of antibiotic resistance.
The theme of the campaign reflects the message that antibiotics are a precious resource and should be preserved. They should be used to treat bacterial infections, only when prescribed by a certified health professional. Antibiotics should never be shared and the full course of treatment should be completed — not saved for the future.
Through this campaign, the official said the MoH seeks to convey a comprehensive message that antibiotics should not be used for inflammation therapy, except in those cases prescribed by a certified specialist physician.
The official pointed out that the program was launched at Riyadh Gallery Mall and was held at Al-Othaim Mall on Monday. Subsequently it was moved to Al-Qasr on Wednesday at the Al-Nakheel Mall, and then to Al-Mamlaka Mall on Thursday. It will be held at Terminal No. 1 at the King Khalid International Airport on Friday. It was open to the public from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“Public malls were chosen as venues for the campaign in an endeavor to reach the largest segment of the community through direct communication and to achieve the awareness on the proper ways and optimal use of antibiotics.”
Ministry of Health officials distributed brochures and publications that contain tips and instructions aimed at first, achieving patient safety, and the lack of complications for the patient in the future because of drugs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), appropriate use of antibiotics is only possible if health care workers and the public have access to reliable, unbiased information on medicines. Universal access to reliable information on medicines is readily achievable and should be a cornerstone of efforts to promote rational prescribing.
Dr. Bakry Mackeen, who works for a polyclinic, Batha, in the heart of the city center in the capital, told Arab News that antibiotics should not be taken by patients without medical advice. ”Such consumption would lead to unwanted complications,” the doctor added.
WHO has approved, during its meeting held in May 2015, a global plan of action over the ever-growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. The key objective of the plan is to include effectively promoting awareness and understanding about antimicrobial resistance, by means of communication, education, and training.
The problem is expanded in livestock that consume about 70 percent of antibiotics, compared to the human consumption, which amounts to 30 percent according to WHO.