Alarmed by the rampant abuse of antibiotics and resultant emergence ofdrug resistant bacteria, the Ministry of Health has announced an actionplan to drastically curb the practice from now until 2020.
The plan will establish more stringent regulations on antibiotic use,increase citizens' awareness of drug resistant bacteria strains and thedangers involved, and set up a national-level supervisory framework tomonitor and respond to the problem.
A surveycommissioned by the Health Ministry in 2011, covering nearly 3,000pharmacies in northern urban and rural areas, showed that 88 percent ofantibiotics were dispensed without prescription in urban areas, and thisrose even further to 91 percent in rural areas.
Thewidespread use of antibiotics without prescription, as well as improperuse for various reasons including lack of access to proper healthcare,has seen the appearance of drug-resistant bacteria strains that clinicsand hospitals are struggling to treat, says deputy director of MoH'sMedical Services Administration Cao Hung Thai.
Furthermore, experts with MoH have said that many kinds of antibiotics are being prescribed needlessly.
The drug-resistant strain of the klebsiella spp bacteria, forinstance, has been increasingly seen over the last decade. Nearly 20percent of tuberculosis patients in the country are carryingdrug-resistant strains that experts have said could pose a global healththreat.
"It is not easy to treatmulti-drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, treatment costs riseexponentially and in some cases, they cannot be cured," said Thai.
Nguyen Mai Ha, a resident of Hanoi's Cau Giay district, said that sheoften bought antibiotics for herself instead of going to the doctor fordiagnosis and treatment.
"The prescription is notnecessary. I describe my disease symptoms to the druggist and then I getthe proper medicines," she said.
Whenever Ha develops a cough, she consumes antibiotics immediately, believing that it will cure the condition faster.
Under the action plan, many multi-media campaigns will be launched toincrease awareness of drug resistance and its implications. It will bedeveloped into a subject taught at medical schools and universities.Scientific conferences will be held on ways to tackle the growinghealthcare threat.
The ministry will also work withinternational organisations to learn from the experiences of foreigncountries in dealing with the problem.-VNA
The plan will establish more stringent regulations on antibiotic use,increase citizens' awareness of drug resistant bacteria strains and thedangers involved, and set up a national-level supervisory framework tomonitor and respond to the problem.
A surveycommissioned by the Health Ministry in 2011, covering nearly 3,000pharmacies in northern urban and rural areas, showed that 88 percent ofantibiotics were dispensed without prescription in urban areas, and thisrose even further to 91 percent in rural areas.
Thewidespread use of antibiotics without prescription, as well as improperuse for various reasons including lack of access to proper healthcare,has seen the appearance of drug-resistant bacteria strains that clinicsand hospitals are struggling to treat, says deputy director of MoH'sMedical Services Administration Cao Hung Thai.
Furthermore, experts with MoH have said that many kinds of antibiotics are being prescribed needlessly.
The drug-resistant strain of the klebsiella spp bacteria, forinstance, has been increasingly seen over the last decade. Nearly 20percent of tuberculosis patients in the country are carryingdrug-resistant strains that experts have said could pose a global healththreat.
"It is not easy to treatmulti-drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, treatment costs riseexponentially and in some cases, they cannot be cured," said Thai.
Nguyen Mai Ha, a resident of Hanoi's Cau Giay district, said that sheoften bought antibiotics for herself instead of going to the doctor fordiagnosis and treatment.
"The prescription is notnecessary. I describe my disease symptoms to the druggist and then I getthe proper medicines," she said.
Whenever Ha develops a cough, she consumes antibiotics immediately, believing that it will cure the condition faster.
Under the action plan, many multi-media campaigns will be launched toincrease awareness of drug resistance and its implications. It will bedeveloped into a subject taught at medical schools and universities.Scientific conferences will be held on ways to tackle the growinghealthcare threat.
The ministry will also work withinternational organisations to learn from the experiences of foreigncountries in dealing with the problem.-VNA
