Viet Nam has signed an aide-memoire to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during a high-level meeting on 24 June 2015.
The aide-memoire recognizes that antimicrobial resistance threatens human survival, public health, trade and economies and has the potential to reverse Viet Nam’s sustainable development gains. To combat this threat, strong government-led multi-sectorial action, including the public and the development partners, is required.
Globally, antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern due to the incorrect use of antimicrobial drugs in the human and animal health sectors and the lack of awareness among health workers and the public. Legal and regulatory frameworks and systems are currently insufficient to combat, monitor and avert AMR. Policy coherence and concerted action across sectors is necessary.
“Infectious diseases remain an important threat to Viet Nam and also have an increasingly complicated pattern. The proper use of antibiotics treating these diseases is crucial,” said Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Viet Nam's Minister of Health.
The inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs threatens the ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in economic loss, and the death and disability of individuals who, until recently, could live normally. “Antimicrobial resistance is multidimensional and imperils human and economic survival. It can reverse public health gains, is a threat to global health security and has huge economic costs to individuals and society,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, Director of Programme Management of the WHO's Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
In 2013 Viet Nam became the first country in WHO’s Western Pacific Region to approve a national action plan to combat Drug Resistance. The newly signed aide-memoire takes Viet Nam’s AMR response forward and commits the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) to coordinate and jointly implement the national action plan across different sectors.
In line with WHO’s global regional strategies on AMR, the aide-memoire and national action plan also help raise awareness about AMR among health workers and the general public, enhance and improve the capacity of national surveillance systems on antibiotic use and resistance, ensure adequate supply of quality essential drugs and strengthen safe and rational drug use and infection control across sectors.
WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Viet Nam are committed to providing technical expertise to the different ministries to develop evidence-based policies in the animal, human and environmental health sectors. They will also support research and the development of surveillance mechanisms to bring Viet Nam’s efforts to combat AMR in line with international norms and standards.
The Ambassador of the United States of America and representatives from the embassies of Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland attended the signing ceremony to support local action for their global commitment to combat AMR. The four countries are strong advocates of a global resolution on AMR as adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015.
“With no action today, there will be no cure tomorrow. We look forward to enhancing our partnership and collaboration from many sectors within the Government of Viet Nam and our global partners to implement measures to bolster global health security measures, like combating antimicrobial resistance,” said Mr Ted Osius, Ambassador of the United States of America to Viet Nam.
Mr Jeffery Kobza, acting WHO Representative in Viet Nam, led coordination among the development partners to support this initiative. WHO plays a leading role in Viet Nam to bring stakeholders across different sectors to work towards a coordinated response to key public health issues in the country.