Nepal implements plan to curb antibiotic resistance in humans and animals
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The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene in Nepal launched a national action plan to stop the unregulated sale and use of antibiotics.
This policy change makes it illegal to purchase antibiotic medicines without a doctor's prescription. The government plans to create a legal system to track medicine sales and prescriptions while conducting regular audits to ensure compliance. The plan addresses the health of humans, animals, and fish to combat multidrug resistance.
To regulate animal health, only veterinarians registered with the Nepal Veterinary Council can issue prescriptions for antibiotics. The government also intends to set legal limits on drug residues in food, feed, animal products, and the environment. Furthermore, the ministry will place antibiotics categorized by the World Health Organization as "reserve" drugs on a special list, restricting their sale to hospital pharmacies under specific circumstances.
The government formed a National Steering Committee and a Technical Working Committee to oversee the five-year plan. The initiative aims to reduce infection and mortality rates by coordinating efforts between federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as the private sector and academic institutions. The ministry allocated a total budget of 4 billion 586 million rupees to fund these efforts across the human health, animal health, food, and environment sectors.
