Growing AMR in India and role of science

One of the serious threats faced by healthcare systems globally is of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), which is a complex problem that needs to be addressed by multiple stakeholders. Indian scenario is no different as there have been multiple cases wherein hospitals from many states of India have reported high resistance rates of pathogens. Many urologists have also observed that diseases and infections pertaining to urinary tract have become extremely difficult to treat due to high levels of drug resistance. In certain critical surgeries, AMR may also lead to increase in mortality rate as certain antibiotics may not respond in the treatment of a medical infection.

A recent Study by ICMR, has found that a major portion of Indian patients in India may no longer benefit from carbapenem, a commonly used antibiotic in most of the ICU settings. Many individuals have already developed antimicrobial resistance, thus leading to drug resistant pathogens, found the study, which was conducted between January 1 to December 31, 2021. The Study also found that resistance to Imipenem (to treat bacteria E coli) has increased from 14 per cent to 36 per cent from 2016 to 2021.