8 May 2017 – In line with the global initiative to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the WHO Egypt country office is supporting the government of Egypt in drafting an antimicrobial resistance national action plan. An antimicrobial resistance coordination committee has been formed within the Ministry of Health and Population, comprising representatives from different departments such as infection prevention and control, surveillance, central administration of pharmaceutical affairs, central public health laboratories, environmental health sector, quality control, training and research, the national information centre and the curative sector.
During a 2-day workshop on 23–24 April, the committee discussed and drafted phase one of the national AMR action plan (2017–2020) in accordance with the "Global Action Plan on ANitmicrobial Resistance 2015". Measures to strengthen national capacity were identified based on infection prevention and control, AMR surveillance and management suopported by the antimicrobial stewardship programme, raising public awareness, and investing in new medicines and a range of other interventions.
Agreement and consensus on roles and responsibilities among concerned sectors were obtained and the need for an effective “one health approach” to tackle AMR in Egypt was acknowledged. It was recommended that a higher ministerial committee be established that includes other relevant ministries and stakeholders, such as representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Education, Industry, Higher Education and Research to finalize phase 2 of the national action plan and be involved in its implementation process.