Billy Kelleher
Question:424. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the timeframe to publish an antimicrobial resistance plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42262/17]
View answerTuesday, 10 October 2017
Questions (424)
Written answers
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that Ireland's National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020, iNAP, will be published on Wednesday 25 October next. The plan will be launched by Minister Michael Creed, T.D., and I as the development of iNAP has been a cross-Departmental initiative, requiring a cross sectoral and whole of Government approach to addressing the world wide threat of antimicrobial resistance, AMR.
Ireland's first National Action Plan on AMR 2017-2020 was developed following the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2015, which required all countries to have in place a national action plan by mid-2017, and by the European Commission, which also required Member States to develop a national action plan by mid-2017. The plan has been prepared by both the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, DAFM, with the guidance of the Interdepartmental AMR Consultative Committee. This ambitious three-year plan has been developed in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders and covers the use of antimicrobial medicines in animal health and agriculture, as well as human health - taking a "One Health" approach to tackling AMR, encompassing all sectors.
The iNAP lists Strategic Interventions and Activities, responsible bodies and priority rankings of timelines for implementation. An implementation plan will be developed separately which will address means of tackling AMR as appropriate to each sector. The National Patient Safety Office, NPSO, will discuss arrangements for progressing this body of work with the HSE's HCAI National Lead and relevant others; DAFM are establishing an AMR implementation plan team to oversee its body of work in addressing the interventions and activities listed proper to the agriculture and environment sectors.
The iNAP aims to ensure the development and implementation of multifaceted interventions which will safeguard against inappropriate prescribing, dispensing and consumption of medicines, while simultaneously promoting rational use in patients and animals that are expected to benefit from treatment.