Call for immediate antibiotic policy, say misuse endangering lives
Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Oct 04: Doctors in Jammu and Kashmir have raised serious concern over the alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), describing it as one of the gravest threats to global health that is undoing decades of medical progress.
They said the unchecked misuse and overuse of antibiotics—both in humans and in livestock—are pushing the world toward a post-antibiotic era where common infections could once again become deadly.
A senior doctor from Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that antibiotics that once saved millions of lives have now lost their effectiveness against several bacterial infections.
“Superbugs—bacteria resistant to multiple drugs—are on the rise, causing infections that no medicine can cure. What’s worse, these resistant strains are entering our system through the food chain,” he said.
He explained that around 80 per cent of antibiotics globally are used in the meat industry, where they are routinely given to cattle, poultry, and livestock to promote growth. “These drugs make their way to humans through meat, milk, water, and even soil, further compounding the threat,” he added.
The doctor urged people to “think twice and seek medical advice before taking antibiotics”, warning that irrational use endangers everyone. “Overuse has led to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria, making once-curable infections difficult or impossible to treat. This crisis demands immediate and coordinated global as well as local action,” he added.
According to the Lancet report published in January 2022, bacterial AMR was responsible for 4.95 million deaths globally in 2019, and without urgent intervention, it could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050.
Dr Showkat Ahmad, Associate Professor at GMC Anantnag, said that responsible use of antibiotics and proper disposal of unused or expired drugs are key to controlling resistance. “When unused medicines or waste from pharmaceutical industries end up in the environment, they facilitate the development of resistant bacteria,” he said.
He noted that irrational treatment practices are fueling the evolution of drug-resistant microbes. “Hospitals are now home to these deadly strains. By prescribing inappropriate antibiotics, we are literally nurturing resistance inside hospitals,” he said, adding that while the natural evolution of resistance cannot be stopped, its spread due to human negligence is alarming.
“In Kashmir, antibiotic misuse is rampant. Over two-thirds of antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily, often for viral infections or non-infectious conditions,” Dr Ahmad said. “Lack of regulation allows chemists to sell antibiotics freely without prescription, and even hospitals often administer them without laboratory testing to identify the right drug.”
The doctors strongly advocated for an “antibiotic policy”, calling it the need of the hour. Such a policy, they said, would promote rational use of antibiotics and ensure standard treatment protocols across hospitals and clinics.
According to health experts, a uniform national policy would not be effective, as antibiotic resistance patterns differ regionally. They said each region has its own microbial ecosystem and antibiogram. Therefore, antibiotic policies must be tailored locally based on regional data to be truly effective, the doctors added. (KNO)
