VIJAYAWADA: The Directorate of Secondary Health (DSH), in collaboration with ECHO India, launched a capacity-building programme on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The pre-launch inauguration was held at the DSH head office, with KVN Chakradhar Babu, Director of Secondary Health, as chief guest.
The programme adopts a hub-and-spoke model, with AIIMS Mangalagiri serving as the academic hub and DSH district hospitals at Proddutur, Hindupur, Tenali, Parvathipuram Manyam, Anakapalli, and Ramachandrapuram functioning as spoke centres. It aims to address AMR, which is responsible for 1 million deaths annually in India, affecting newborns, elderly, and immunocompromised populations.
Chakradhar Babu emphasised preventive care and holistic living, aligning with the vision of Swachh Andhra – Swarna Andhra 2047.
He stressed the importance of returning to basics—living close to nature, maintaining a balanced diet, and controlling antimicrobial use not only in healthcare but also in fisheries, livestock, and farming, to prevent environmental spread of resistance. He noted that compliance with these norms is critical for aqua exports.
Expected outcomes include diagnostic and prescribing practices, improved awareness of rational antibiotic use, structured pathways for responsible use of last-resort antibiotics, and institution-centric stewardship models such as developing antibiograms.
The three-year pilot programme will train 200 healthcare professionals—clinicians, microbiologists, pathologists, nurses, and lab technicians—through role-specific learning pathways. The wider goal is to build replicable models for scaling up AMS interventions across the State.