Hyderabad, Oct 3 (Representative) The three-day global south conference on infection prevention, control, and antimicrobial stewardship (G-SPARC)-2024 began here on Thursday. Speaking on the Management of outbreaks and health crisis- a politician’s perspective, former Kerala Health Minister Shailaja Teacher, said Infection Prevention and Control, AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) are global issues. AMR is a silent pandemic, she said AMR is recognized as a global health security threat by WHO (World Health Organisation), CDC(Centre for Disease Control), and UN (United Nations). Giving insights into the preparedness before COVID spread and how proactive measures about AMR, Shailaja said its ‘policy were taken in Kerala, and the introduction of the AMR action plan, the first time India proved to be very effective. Speaking further she said we need one health approach to address AMR. The estimated global cost is $ 1000 trillion by 2050. Kerala became the first state in India to release a sub-national action Plan called KARSAP in 2018 and it is conceptualized and implemented on a One Health Platform. We launched the Antibiotic Literate Kerala Campaign in 2019 to make all citizens of Kerala aware of the judicious use of antibiotics in all sectors. We have also launched an AI-based Antibiogram App, the former Kerala Minister said. Participating in a panel discussion on the Leadership role in IPC & AMS policy and practices, Dr. Evita Fernandez- Chair of the Fernandez Foundation said nurses are true custodians of the patients. However, they are scared to raise issues when the patient’s health is compromised. When anyone including doctors touches the patient, they need to be sanitized well. Nurses must get their respect.
They are not subordinates to doctors. They are our colleagues. Nurses play a big role in stopping infections spread to patients. Doctors must change their attitudes towards nurses and give mutual respect, she added. Dr Anuj Sharma of the WHO Country Office of India said for an effective AMR plan and its implementation we need a state government’s concurrence on IPC (Infection, Prevention, and Control) and AMR. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr.Hari Prasad, Chaiman – CARE Group of hospitals. Some of the prominent speakers who participated in the conference include Prof Chedly Azzouz, Chairperson, Infection Control Africa Network and Prof. (Dr.) Atul Goel, DGHS & Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Patient Safety stakeholders from Global South (resource-limited countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, South America) to collaborate for better policies, research, tailored solutions and practices on IPC, AMS and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and pandemic preparedness. G-SPARC 2024 is organized by the Infection Control Academy of India (ICAI), University of Hyderabad (UoH), and Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO) with support from more than a hundred distinguished partners from academia, industry, healthcare organizations, and professional associations.