Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Cleopa Mailu has said access to critical medicines and point of care diagnostics is limited, resulting in dire consequences for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
‘’Many deaths could be prevented if we address barriers to access such as high pricing and inadequate point of care diagnostics,’’ said Dr. Mailu.
He was speaking at the Ford Foundation, UNGA side event on ‘Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a Threat to the Health and Economic Development of Nations.’
The CS also noted the urgent need to address the imbalance between the innovation of new products and pricing of antimicrobials and diagnostics.
He added that there is need to address the current market structures to ensure access to antimicrobials for those who need them, when they need them.
“This, I believe, will help increase access to the treatment required and at the same time sustain demand. The global community has learnt key lessons from TB, HIV and Malaria in addressing market failures and we can utilize similar models for AMR,’’ said Dr. Mailu.
The CS cited diminishing investments in research and development for new and effective antimicrobials and global travel which has created fresh opportunities for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens to spread worldwide.
“We call upon all partners to work together in a transparent manner to develop new models to finance the development of new antimicrobials and diagnostics. There is necessity to secure and commit funds needed to implement these mechanisms to overcome the challenges of antimicrobial discovery and development,’’ he argued.
According to the 2015 Global Action plan on Antimicrobial resistance, AMR “threatens the very core of modern medicine and the sustainability of an effective, global public health response to the enduring threat from infectious diseases.”
Research has demonstrated that continued rise in antimicrobial resistance would lead to 10 million deaths every year and 3% reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the year 2050
