Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, which is a timely and crucial intervention in a silent public health crisis. By highlighting the alarming findings of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, which details how antibiotics are failing against common infections like pneumonia and UTIs, the Prime Minister has rightly shifted national attention to the grave threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). This is a clear and present danger, and his unambiguous message, “Medicines require guidance, and antibiotics require doctors,” deserves widespread support and urgent action. The Prime Minister’s concern underscores a critical failure in our healthcare culture: the pervasive habit of self-medication and the demand for quick-fix pills. This practice, often driven by convenience or misinformation, is rendering our most vital medical tools obsolete. When antibiotics are misused or overused, bacteria evolve to survive them, creating “superbugs” that no available drug can treat. This erodes the foundation of modern medicine, making routine surgeries, cancer treatments, and childbirth exponentially riskier. Hailing this statement is essential, but it must be the starting gun for a concerted national campaign. Awareness is the first step. The government, in partnership with medical bodies and media, must launch a sustained public information drive to explain AMR in simple terms, just as the Prime Minister has begun. Second, the regulation must be tightened. Strict enforcement of laws against over-the-counter antibiotic sales without prescription is non-negotiable. Pharmacists and chemists must be empowered and obligated to act as the first line of defence. Third, the medical community must be reinforced. Doctors need support to resist patient pressure for unnecessary prescriptions and to adhere strictly to treatment guidelines. The fight against AMR is a collective responsibility. It requires a behavioural shift from every citizen, to never self-prescribe, to complete the full course of medication, and to understand that antibiotics are not cure-alls. The Prime Minister has sounded the alarm. It is now incumbent upon all stakeholders – the public, healthcare providers, pharmacists, and policymakers – to translate this vital warning into a concrete, life-saving movement. Our health, and that of future generations, depends on it.
The revelation that two government degree colleges in Jammu and Kashmir have zero student enrolment, while dozens more function with fewer than fifty students, is an indictment of a system that continues...
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