GEORGE TOWN: Doctors are now getting sued for not prescribing antibiotics. Health and Safety Advisory Centre (HSC) president Dr T. Jayabalan said several such cases have already been brought to his attention by general practitioners who, in some instances, do not see the need to prescribe the medication.
He warned that overuse of antibiotics could be detrimental not only to the patient’s health but to the environment as well.
“There is a greater need for public awareness that excessive use of antibiotics is counter-productive and it can lead to antimicrobial resistance and, in some cases, even death,” he said at an antimicrobial resistance seminar jointly organised by HSC and the National Poison Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia here yesterday.
A World Health Organisation projection shows that deaths related to antimicrobial resistance amounted to about 700,000 cases per year globally.
The figure is expected to surge substantially to 10 million by 2050, Jayabalan said.
Antimicrobial resistance is a condition where bacteria or micro-organisms can no longer be neutralised by antibiotics.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, who was present to open the seminar, pointed out that the E.coli bacteria was already resistant to antibiotics.
Over and above that, he said, more than 230,000 deaths globally were related to multi drug-resistant tuberculosis.
He advised Malaysians against being swept up by the hype that antibiotics were good for health.
“We should leave it to the wisdom of the doctors. Furthermore, we already have the technology that can help to determine if such medication is necessary,” he said.
For instance, he said, a patient with flu must understand that his doctor may sometimes refrain from giving him antibiotics because his own body already has the capability to deal with the illness.
He also expressed hope that the public could understand that under existing guidelines, pharmacists could not dispense certain drugs unless prescribed by a doctor.
He cautioned that antimicrobial conditions were no longer only confined to hospitals.
“It’s already out there, so people should take extra precautions,” he added.
The Malaysian Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance for 2017 to 2021 was developed to counter that threat.
Lee also announced that from next year, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry would phase out the use of antibiotics in the husbandry sector to curb antimicrobial resistance.
