Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
Credit: Facebook/veenageorgeofficial
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday that there has been a "20-30 per cent reduction in the use of antibiotics in the state due to the consistent interventions of the government".
She made the remarks after inaugurating a state-level awareness campaign against the indiscriminate use of antibiotics at a state-run health centre in Vattiyoorkkavu.
George explained that the state health department has been working over the past year to prevent the unnecessary and unscientific use of antibiotics.
"This reduction means that, over the past year, the state has been able to eliminate the unnecessary intake of antibiotics among people," she said.
George also highlighted that strict measures have been put in place to prevent medical stores from selling antibiotics without a doctor's prescription. "A toll-free number has been provided to the public to help strengthen awareness," she added.
The minister announced that all hospitals in the state would be designated as "antibiotic-smart hospitals." The state health department has been conducting various awareness programmes as part of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Week, an official statement said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that by 2050, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could result in 10 million deaths worldwide due to the unscientific use of antibiotics, the statement added.
In response, the Kerala health department is implementing exemplary initiatives to address this issue and the awareness campaign is a key part of these efforts, it said.