Initiatives to create awareness about Antibiotics under National List of Essential Medicines

The Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM) was constituted to review and revise the National List of Essential Medicines by way of additions and deletions in the existing NLEM in the context of contemporary knowledge of use of therapeutic products in health & hygiene of general public. The SNCM submitted its final report on 10.09.2022. The Government of India has accepted the recommendations of the Committee and the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2022 became operational vide notification dated 13.09.2022. The current National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM, 2022) contains 384 medicines. In NLEM 2022, 34 medicines have been added and 26 medicines have been deleted from NLEM, 2015.

The details are available on the website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at https://main.mohfw.gov.in/newshighlights-104

Government of India has taken following initiatives to increase awareness about antibiotics:

ICMR has initiated antibiotic stewardship program (AMSP) on a pilot project basis in 20 tertiary care hospitals across India to control misuse and overuse of antibiotics in hospital wards and ICUs.

DCGI has banned 40 fixed dose combinations (FDCs) which were found inappropriate.

ICMR worked in collaboration with Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries and the DCGI to ban use of Colistin as growth promoter in animal feed in poultry.

Various IEC activities like public conclave, poster and quiz competitions have been conducted by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in schools, colleges and Health melas to create awareness about AMR, its containment & prevention and judicial use of antibiotics among the common public. To raise awareness among the community and the health care providers, communication material includes posters, videos and radio jingles has been developed with emphasis on prevention of irrational use of antibiotics during viral-illnesses and also on infection prevention through hand hygiene to prevent spread of infections. Under the National Programme for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance, NCDC supports institutes to conduct surveillance of antibiotics consumed in their respective hospitals.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.