MPS: Curbing antibiotics apocalypse needs strong support from healthcare professionals

KUALA LUMPUR: Moves to curb antibiotics apocalypse in Malaysia need strong support from healthcare professionals, Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) President Amrahi Buang said.
He said MPS has singled out pharmacy practitioners in the community to champion the tagline "antibiotics, with prescription only" as part of their focused and targeted strategy to curb antibiotics abuse in Malaysia.
"However, efforts by certain organisations will not be successful if all the other stakeholders do not practice good governance of antibiotics," he said in a statement in conjunction with World Antibiotics Awareness Week which kicked off on Monday and ends tomorrow here.
Amrahi said the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes that have been initiated in public hospitals have shown success in promoting the rational use of antibiotics.
"Such programmes should be initiated in the primary care settings since statistics from a 2016 study conducted by the Health Ministry showed that only 26% patients received antibiotics in the public primary care clinics compared with 61% of patients being prescribed antibiotics in the private primary care clinics," he said,
On whether health care practitioners are to be held responsible for the current antibiotics problems, he said: "Patients are advised not to urge prescribers to provide antibiotics unless indicated," he said.
They also need to complete their antibiotics course as counselled, and to refrain from sharing their antibiotics with others, as well as, to not consume antibiotics that were prescribed to someone else. — Bernama