BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious challenge in Brunei, which leads to a national action plan spearheaded by multi-sectoral agencies to overcome the problem, Minister of Health Haji Mohammad Isham said.
According to local daily the Borneo Bulletin on Sunday, the minister said AMR is a global threat to public health and 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases.
"Deaths from infections resistant to common antibiotics, antivirals and anti-parasitic drugs could increase more than 10-fold to 10 million deaths annually by 2050," the minister was quoted as saying by the daily, citing a UN report.
The minister said Brunei is geared to tackle the issue and the Brunei Darussalam Antimicrobial Resistance Committee (BDAMRC), a multi-sectoral committee comprising the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism was formed last December, and has formulated a Brunei Darussalam Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan 2019-2020.
"This national action plan is in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Action Plan and in terms of approach, very much in line with regional nations' plans and most importantly, signifies our country's commitment in combatting AMR," the minister said.
