Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Health to inspect the observation of regulations in antibiotic prescription and use in medical facilities.

The PM assigned the ministry to seek measures to effectively monitor the implementation of the regulations and strictly handle violations.

Meanwhile, the PM also requested the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, and Natural Resources and Environment to assess the effectiveness of the national action plan on preventing antibiotic resistance for the 2013-2020 period, and apply measures to enhance its efficacy.

The Ministry of Health is tasked to inspect pharmacies’ observation of regulations on selling prescription medicines and take measures to manage the enforcement of the rules, firstly focusing on antibiotics.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is requested to strengthen the management of the production, import, trading and use of antibiotic in animal husbandry and aquaculture, while designing guidances on the use of animal feed containing antibiotic.

The PM asked the two ministries to coordinate in managing the import of antibiotic materials used in the production and use of veterinary medicine.

Antimicrobial resistance is a risk to Vietnam’s people and economy following the increase in antibiotic use and lax management of antibiotic use in healthcare and animal husbandry.

According to WHO, antimicrobial resistance results in some 700,000 global deaths per year. By 2050, the number of deaths attributed to AMR is estimated to be 10 million per year, more than the estimate for cancer and 10 times more than the estimate for diabetes.

VNA