Kerala, as part of strengthening its Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP), is going ahead with a special campaign to make the State fully “antibiotic literate” by 2023.
The project would be made a part of the second Navakeralam action plan, Health Minister Veena George said at a review meeting of the KARSAP here on Tuesday.
Activities under the KARSAP had been at a standstill since the beginning of the pandemic and these would be revived. The meeting assessed the activities implemented so far under the KARSAP by various departments.
Setting goals
The action plan would be strengthened by identifying short-term and long-term goals that should be strived towards, so that the broad targets of the KARSAP can be achieved in the next three years.
Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) committees would be formed at the district-level. The hub-and-spoke model successfully innovated by the Ernakulam district would be scaled up across other districts too.
It was decided to hold AMR review meetings every three months and an elaborate campaign would be organised to create public awareness of AMR. Special awareness programmes would be organised in schools.
Monitoring network
The AMR monitoring network (KAR-Net) would be expanded, it was decided at the meeting.
Studies conducted by various departments on antibiotic residues found in the environment, water sources, milk, fish, meat and other food items and possible measures to minimise this were presented at the meeting.
Principal Secretary (Health) Rajan Khobragade, Chief Minister’s scientific advisor M.C. Dathan, the Director of Health Services, Commissioner of Food Safety, State Drugs Controller, Head of Microbiology Department of Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, and representatives of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Departments, Veterinary University, Fisheries University, Pollution Control Board, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Association of Physicians, Indian Medical Association, Indian Academy of Paediatrics and private health sector were present at the meeting.
