ISLAMABAD
\nTo commemorate World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week (WAAW), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSRC) and the Fleming Fund, organized the National AMR Symposium today.
\nThe symposium, themed \u201cSustainability of AMR Containment in Pakistan,\u201d brought together top health officials, policymakers, and international partners to strategize on maintaining the momentum in the fight against drug-resistant infections.
\nDr. Muhammad Salman, Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute of Health (NIH), welcomed the participants. He highlighted the critical nature of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as a \u201csilent pandemic\u201d and emphasized the NIH\u2019s commitment to leading the scientific response.
\n\u201cWorld AMR Awareness Week is not just about raising awareness; it is a call to action. As we move forward, our focus shifts from establishing systems to ensuring the sustainability of AMR containment measures across Pakistan\u2019s human and animal health sectors,\u201d stated Dr. Salman.
\nThe Special Secretary Health in his inaugural address reaffirmed the government\u2019s resolve to tackle AMR through policy enforcement and resource allocation. The Secretary noted that sustainable containment requires a robust \u201cOne Health\u201d approach, integrating efforts across all sectors especially at provincial level.
\nDr. Ayesha Isani Majeed, Director General of Health (MoNHSRC), in her remarks highlighted the role of regulatory and implementation framework. She stressed the need to operationalize the National Action Plan on AMR effectively. \u201cAMR containment is a priority for the Ministry.
\nWe are dedicated to strengthening regulatory frameworks and ensuring that our hospitals and communities are equipped to use antimicrobials responsibly to preserve their efficacy for future generations,\u201d said Dr. Ayesha.
\nRepresenting the Fleming Fund, Dr. Qadeer Ahsan, Country Lead, spoke on the transition toward self-reliance. He mentioned that the Fleming Fund has invested significantly in modernizing Pakistan\u2019s diagnostic landscape.
\nThe goal of this symposium is to map out how these investments will be sustained locally to ensure continuous, high-quality data generation that informs policy and saves lives.
\nFollowing the opening plenary, a comprehensive technical session took place, focusing on the pillars of the One Health approach, experts presented updates on the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) surveillance programs, stressing that robust IPC is the first line of defense against resistance.
\nSpeakers shared the latest progress reports and recent findings from the national AMR surveillance system, providing a data-driven snapshot of the current resistance landscape in Pakistan.
\nSpeakers also discussed Environmental AMR Monitoring, highlighting the presence of resistant pathogens in the environment and the need for better waste management protocols.
\nThe symposium concluded with a high-level panel discussion focused on the Implementation of the AMR National Action Plan (NAP) 2.0. The discussion addressed existing operational challenges and outlined a concrete way forward.
\nStakeholders agreed on a roadmap to enhance inter-provincial coordination and ensure that the strategies discussed are effectively operationalized to secure the nation\u2019s health against the threat of antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD To commemorate World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week (WAAW), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSRC) and the Fleming Fund, organized the National AMR Symposium today. The symposium, themed \u201cSustainability of AMR Containment in Pakistan,\u201d brought together top health officials, policymakers, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-516517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n