Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday stressed the need for restricting the selling of antibiotics without the prescription of any registered doctor.
‘Antibiotics are available everywhere in Bangladesh, and the selling of such antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription must be stopped,’ she said.
The prime minister said this while director of biology department of Ineos Institute of Antimicrobial Research, Oxford University, United Kingdom, Professor Timothy E Walsh called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka.
After the meeting, prime minister’s speech writer Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters.
She said that once antibiotics were given from various community clinics of the country, but now it had been completely stopped.
‘Now antibiotics are given from the public hospitals after physicians prescribe these,’ she said.
Stressing the need for proper use of antibiotics, the PM said that efforts were being made to ensure that antibiotics were not sold everywhere in Bangladesh.
Walsh said that anti-microbial resistance has become an epidemic in the world now.
‘If it is not prevented now, it will take a more serious turn in future,’ he said.
He expressed his fear that millions of people may die as a result.
He praised PM Hasina’s role as co-chair of the Global Leaders Group on AMR.
In the meeting, the PM highlighted the various steps taken by his government for the overall development of the health sector, including the establishment of specialised hospitals and institutes such as National Institute of Ophthalmology, Sheikh Russell Gastroliver Hospital, Cardiovascular Institute, Cancer and Neuro Science Hospitals.
Hasina said her government had given special emphasis on research in various fields including agriculture, basic science and medicine.
She said that apart from providing scholarships for general students, fellowships are given in 200 higher education institutions, especially in PhD, post-doctoral and research fields.
The Oxford University professor proposed introducing the Bangabandhu IOI fellowship from Ineos Institute of Antimicrobial Research for Bangladeshi students for research in medical and basic sciences under the fellowship.
In response, the prime minister gave her consent in-principle.
In addition, Timothy Walsh also proposed a partnership of the Bangladesh Parliament on AMR with the Caucuses of the British Parliament and the PM gave a positive response.
