India Takes Bold Political Lead Against Antimicrobial Resistance, Warns Against Antibiotic Misuse
As the world grapples with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the top 10 global health threats, India is emerging as a strong political voice pushing for urgent action to protect public health, food security and the environment.
AMR, driven largely by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medicines across human health, agriculture, livestock and environmental sectors, threatens to reverse decades of medical progress.
While global leaders adopted key commitments at UN General Assembly high-level meetings in 2016 and 2024, experts say sustained country-level leadership is critical to prevent a slide back to the pre-antibiotic era.
That leadership was on display on 28 December 2025, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a clear nationwide warning against self-medication with antibiotics.
“Medicines require guidance, and antibiotics require doctors,” he said, urging citizens to take antibiotics only when prescribed by qualified medical professionals.
His remarks followed a recent report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which revealed rising resistance to commonly used antibiotics in infections such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections across 25 hospitals.
According to ICMR, indiscriminate antibiotic use is a major driver of this alarming trend.
Dr Kamini Walia, head of the ICMR AMR Surveillance Network, warned that drug-resistant infections lead to longer hospital stays, higher treatment costs and preventable deaths.
Former WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan also linked AMR to over-the-counter drug use, agricultural misuse and poor pharmaceutical waste management.
Commending India’s political commitment, WHO AMR Director Dr Yvan JF Hutin described the Prime Minister’s intervention as “timely and vital,” noting India’s strong capacity for research, production, surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship, both domestically and globally.
AMR survivor Bhakti Chavan, who battled drug-resistant TB extensively, welcomed the spotlight on AMR, stressing the importance of early diagnosis, access to new medicines and robust surveillance.
Health experts and civil society leaders echoed calls for responsible antibiotic use and urgent action to prevent drug-resistant infections, including TB, which remains largely preventable.
As India steps forward with high-level political leadership, global health advocates hope the momentum will translate into lasting change, before antimicrobial resistance stops us all.
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