Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 2025

Improve antimicrobial stewardship among doctors, health and allied professionals (including vets and field workers) Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) serves “to optimize clinical outcomes while minimizing the unintended consequences of antimicrobial use, including toxicity, the selection of pathogenic organisms and the emergence of resistance,” according to guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).98 Healthcare systems are strongly encouraged to implement AMS programmes to ensure that doctors and health professionals – the front line for safeguarding the effectiveness of antimicrobial medicines99 – are fully aware of the dangers of AMR and uphold the good practice of prescribing only what is necessary, along with educating their patients on proper antimicrobial consumption. However, there is inconsistent implementation of AMS programmes across hospitals and healthcare systems in Asia. A survey of 349 hospitals across 10 countries in the region revealed that most hospitals that participated lacked AMS programmes that would meet the required standards, and needed urgent attention to tackle deficits in the funding and resourcing of effective AMS.100 Another study uncovered a severe lack of trained professionals who could tackle AMR – only 15.8% of surveyed hospitals had more than 10 physicians specializing in adult and/or paediatric infectious diseases, despite most of them (75.5%) working in large hospitals. Some centres do not even have clinical microbiologists on-site, which makes disease identification and subsequent control and management more cumbersome.101 To strengthen the front line of defence against AMR, enhancing AMS is of utmost importance. This sprint aims to strengthen the awareness of AMR among clinicians, patients and farmers, focusing on the critical importance of avoiding the overuse or abuse of antimicrobials, as well as on strategies to prevent infections in the first place, such as better biosecurity measures around livestock.Improve knowledge and behaviour Sprint: Educate 1 A survey of 349 hospitals across 10 countries in Asia revealed that most hospitals lacked antimicrobial stewardship programmes that would meet the required standard. Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 23