The Ministry of Health and Prevention’s Central Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (MoHAP’s Central Antimicrobial Stewardship Team) organized a symposium on the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
Held at InterContinental Dubai - Festival City, the event aims to raise awareness about the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to ensure the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with safe and successful medicines, set standards and controls to reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance, and reduce the risks of using antibiotics as per global standards.
The symposium was attended by specialists and consultants in the treatment of infectious diseases, microbiologists and pharmacists from MoHAP’s hospitals.
H.E. Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry’s Hospitals Sector, highlighted the importance of holding such conferences and symposiums to learn closely about the latest international practices in the antimicrobial field, with the participation of health sector officials, experts, and consultants.
He further said: “MoHAP’s hospitals are adopting the latest international protocols in terms of rationalizing antibiotics prescription. This is part of our objectives to enhance patients’ safety and improve the quality of infection control, in accordance with MoHAP’s strategy aiming to build quality and safety for therapeutic, healthcare and pharmaceutical systems according to international standards.”
The symposium was opened by Dr. Motasem Abuelreish, Consultant Pediatrics Infectious Diseases, Head of Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Al Qassimi Women's and Children's Hospital, Sharjah, Chair of Central Antimicrobial Stewardship Team, MoHAP.
Abuelreish stressed that MoHAP pays great attention to rationalize the use of antibiotics by developing therapeutic policies and protocols based on the latest international updates in the treatment of infectious diseases, creating a database to monitor the consumption of antibiotics, detecting infections and getting rid of its sources.
In addition, he shed light on the most rapid and accurate methods of diagnosing infectious diseases that would help reduce infection aggravation and choose the appropriate treatment to reduce the length of hospital stay and produce better outcome.
How to Deal with Antibiotics
In turn, Dr. David Livermore, Professor in Medical Microbiology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK highlighted the development of antimicrobial resistance and the challenges facing the Antimicrobial Stewardship Team, and the measures taken to confront these challenges.
While Dr. Ahmed Sobhi, Consultant, Infectious Diseases and Head of Infection Prevention and Control Unit at Al Qassimi Hospital, discussed the implementation of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at outpatient setting and its vital role in curbing the prevalence of the AMR, thus choosing the appropriate antibiotic for each case.
A detailed presentation was made by Dr. Suhanlal Thiruvut, Medical Microbiologist, Kuwait Hospital, Sharjah, on how to interpret the Antibiogram which helps the stewardship team in choosing the appropriate antibiotic for certain bacterial infections.
Dr. Ayman Ahmad Chkhis, Clinical Pharmacist, Kuwait Hospital Dubai, highlighted the pharmacist’s key role in supporting the stewardship team to rationalize antibiotics use at MoHAP’s hospitals.