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July 27, 2017 - To help stop antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from killing millions and costing the global economy trillions of dollars, partners from the health and agriculture sectors finalized a first draft of an innovative national action plan for Sudan, in Khartoum today.
Over the past three days, health partners for Sudan came together to fight AMR, including representatives from the Sudanese Ministries of Health (FMoH), Agriculture and Forestry (FMoAF), and Animal Resources and Fisheries (FMoARF), as well as the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The gathering drafted a National Action Plan (NAP), which intends to stop the deadly trend of AMR which is estimated to cost millions of lives and trillions of dollars of economic damage if it goes unchallenged.
“This new draft plan is Sudan’s best chance to stop the life-threatening AMR,” said Abdallah Abdulkareem, Director of Sudan’s National Public Health Laboratory and Chairman of the National AMR Committee, speaking on behalf of Sudan’s Undersecretary of Health. “It is a pioneering plan and commitment to the One Health approach, bringing together the public health and agricultural sectors, to work hand in hand on several issues at the same time. The NAP pays attention to all parts of the puzzle to stop resistance from growing more.” The draft plan also counts on the support of the Government’s Directorates of Primary Healthcare, Pharmacy, Quality, and Curative Medicine.
The draft NAP includes specific measures for five key areas: better understanding and awareness of AMR, stronger surveillance and research, better prevention, improving use of antimicrobial drugs in humans and animals, and promoting sustainable investment in fighting AMR. “Once these measures are implemented, we will be able to get AMR under control. That means we will protect health, and save countless human lives,” said Dr. Naeema Al Gasseer, the WHO Representative for Sudan.
Babagana Ahmadu, the FAO Representative for Sudan, adds: “Sudan is leading in the global fight against AMR: it is only the fourth country in the region to draft a National Action Plan (NAP). The One Health concept is a key of all parts of this plan, which recognizes that AMR is connected to the health of humans, animals and the environment. With the key support of the Government of Sudan, we will be able to address all the causes of AMR in a holistic way.”
The health and agriculture partners will now move the draft NAP to finalization, adoption and implementation as soon as possible.
