The Ministry of Health has disclosed that it is coming up with a comprehensive national policy to address the increasing misuse of antibiotics, which leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans and animals.

The drug misuse menace, the ministry said, also threatens research into new drugs, since investors are scared of investing into new drugs only for them to become useless due to inappropriate human use.

Brian Asare, Programmes Officer, Ghana National Drugs Programme at the MoH, speaking to the B&FT in Accra, at a workshop to validate a “One Health National Policy on antimicrobial resistance”, explained that abuse, and improper disposal of antibiotics and its consequent exposure to the environment, including air and water, are the main causes of antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance, he said, makes treatment of infections costly or difficult, if not impossible.

“I can confirm that antimicrobial resistance is equally a problem in Ghana as it is in many other countries, and by that we mean people are abusing drugs. The practice where people share medicines that are prescribed for others or dispose of antibiotics inappropriately makes microbes become resistant to drugs over a period.

Microbes are such that you either give the right dose to kill them or you give what will not kill them but will give them enough time to learn how to survive in the presence of antibiotics,” Mr. Asare said.

“There is a comprehensive policy coming up that will address the use of antimicrobial in animals, plants and the environment, including human beings. This policy will guide the use of antibiotics in the country by streamlining how we can best do things.”

Pharmacists and others engaged in drug prescriptions, should do due diligence in the course of their work, and prescribe drugs appropriately, Mr Asare advised.

The workshop, which was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and MoH, forms part of efforts to increase awareness about AMR.

According to World Health Organisation, AMR poses a threat to the very core of medicine and the sustainability of an effective global public health response to the enduring threat from infectious diseases.

“Reports reaching my office from the Veterinary Services and Plant Protection and Regulatory Services about the misuse of antibiotics are very worrying. According to the Veterinary Surgeons, there is too much over use of veterinary drugs to the extent that many drug firms have new combinations of more than two antibiotics for treatment of infections and this is worrying,” said Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu, Deputy Minister of MoFA.

According to Mr. Yakubu, his Ministry is collaborating with its partners to carry out surveillance on the use of antimicrobials and to develop new responses to the threat.

Antimicrobial resistant microbes can be found in people, animals, food and the environment, including water, soil and air. They can spread between people and animals, and from person to person or from food to humans.

Poor infection control, inadequate sanitary conditions and inappropriate food-handling are also known to encourage the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

AMR is currently a global health priority due to its high negative impacts on human and animal health, food safety and sustainable development of agriculture.

The consequences of AMR include the failure to successfully treat human infections, leading to more severe or prolonged illness and death. It also results in animal production losses, jeopardising the livelihoods and food security of poor farming communities.

The indirect impacts of AMR extend beyond health risks or reduced productivity, to higher costs for treatment and significant drain on national and global resources.

The FAO is providing technical assistance to help countries develop their national action plans, and strengthen their health and surveillance systems so that they can prevent and manage antimicrobial resistance.

As a result, the FAO, WHO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health have combined in the “One-Health” approach to promote best practices to avoid the emergence and spread of antibacterial resistance, including optimal use of antibiotics in both humans and animals.