- Excellencies
- Distinguished delegates
- Partners, colleagues, and friends
Welcome to this multi-country meeting on “Mainstreaming Antimicrobial Resistance in Primary Health Care.”
As we all know, AMR is one of the most urgent public health threats of our time. In fact, it may be one of the most urgent public threats of any time.
It endangers our ability to treat infections effectively by undermining the very foundation of modern medicine. It threatens to roll back a lifetime of progress in health and development.
In 2019, almost 5 million deaths were associated with drug-resistant bacterial infections. Of this, 1.27 million deaths were directly attributable to bacterial AMR, with 20% occurring in children under five. Without a stronger response, global life expectancy could decline by an estimated 1.8 years by 2035.
AMR could impose an additional US$ 1 trillion in annual healthcare costs by 2050, and cause economic losses ranging from US$ 1 trillion to 3.4 trillion in GDP per year by 2030.
Clearly, we have to act now.
Given that nearly 80% of antibiotics are prescribed at the primary care level, PHC is the frontline in our fight against AMR. Strengthening PHC is essential to ensuring that infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostics, immunization, and public awareness are embedded in routine healthcare delivery.
A strong AMR response within PHC not only helps contain resistance but also enhances pandemic preparedness, strengthens health systems, and contributes to Universal Health Coverage.
By mainstreaming AMR interventions into PHC, we shift from viewing AMR as a purely biological issue to tackling the systemic challenges that drive its spread. WHO has developed the people-centered approach to AMR to address the challenges and barriers people face when accessing health services to prevent, diagnose and treat (drug-resistant) infections.
In our South-East Asia region, WHO collaborated with the Asia-Europe Foundation to support Indonesia and Thailand adapting this people-centered approach into their health systems.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate both Indonesia and Thailand. Indonesia has launched their National Strategy on AMR Control, and Thailand recently published a report on Mainstreaming AMR Interventions into Primary Health Care in Thailand. The report was developed by WHO and the International Health Policy Program of Thailand’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Asia-Europe Foundation. This is an important report that not only provides valuable insights, but also a model for other countries working to integrate AMR interventions into their PHC systems.
This meeting starting today is a wonderful opportunity to share and exchange experiences and best practices, and to develop concrete solutions for effective AMR integration into PHC. Your discussions over the next days will help shape national and regional policies and strategies.
WHO is committed to supporting countries in this vital mission. I would also like to express my deep thanks and appreciation to the Public Health Network of the Asia-Europe Foundation, for your contributions to advancing AMR interventions, including by supporting this important meeting.
We have to act now.
Together, we have to safeguard antimicrobials, protect public health, and ensure that effective treatment remains accessible for generations to come.
A strong PHC system, with AMR interventions at its core, will enhance resilience, improve patient outcomes, and secure the long-term sustainability of antimicrobial effectiveness.
I wish you all a productive workshop and look forward to being appraised of the outcomes.
Thank you.