Amman, May 20 (Petra) -- The World Health Organization warned that insufficient and unstable financing remains one of the main obstacles preventing meaningful progress in confronting antimicrobial resistance across the Eastern Mediterranean region.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Hassan Balkhy said achieving the 2030 targets would remain out of reach without clear domestic budgets dedicated to priority activities within national action plans and linking those plans to financing, accreditation and the day-to-day performance of health systems.
In a statement issued on the sidelines of the 79th session of the World Health Assembly, Balkhy called for urgent and coordinated action to address growing gaps in implementation, noting that the Eastern Mediterranean region records some of the world’s highest per capita antibiotic consumption rates. She added that nearly one in every three bacterial infections in the region is resistant to antibiotics.
The organization said that while most countries in the region have already developed national action plans to combat antimicrobial resistance, implementation remains slow and fragmented. WHO stressed the need to move toward detailed costing and budgeting of these plans, alongside establishing clear monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress and improve accountability.
The statement also highlighted weak enforcement of regulations governing antimicrobial sales, despite the existence of legislation in many countries. WHO emphasized the need to strengthen antibiotic stewardship programs, improve oversight of prescriptions, particularly in primary healthcare facilities where most antibiotics are prescribed, and expand the use of digital monitoring tools, education and professional training.
WHO further called for adopting a fully integrated "One Health" approach that links human, animal, food and environmental health systems within a unified framework for data sharing and policymaking. However, the organization noted that implementation of the approach remains fragmented, with environmental surveillance identified as the weakest component and workforce capacity continuing to lag behind growing needs.
Balkhy warned that ongoing conflicts, fragile health systems and climate change are accelerating antimicrobial resistance across the region, underscoring the need for sustained political, financial and administrative commitment at the highest levels. She stressed that accountability should not remain limited to ministries of health alone but must be reflected in broader national priorities and public budgets.
The organization also called for greater investment in diagnostics, preventive tools, regulatory systems and local pharmaceutical production and procurement mechanisms to ensure countries can independently access and responsibly manage antimicrobial medicines.
WHO concluded that antibiotics must be treated as strategic assets requiring long-term protection rather than ordinary commercial commodities if countries are to preserve their effectiveness for future generations.
//Petra//
