Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Faced with the worrying rise in antimicrobial resistance, the Minister of Health, Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudène, called this Thursday for urgent national mobilization. On the occasion of the National Day and the World Week dedicated to this issue, he warned of a phenomenon that has become one of the major public health challenges and pleaded for coordinated action by all sectors.
Placed this year under the slogan “Let’s act now: to protect our present and ensure our future”, this celebration aims to recall the extent of the danger represented by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), now integrated since 2019 into the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The minister underlined, in a message read by the secretary general of the ministry, Mohamed Talhi, the urgency of coordinated action involving all sectors in order to stem a threat that has become one of the major public health challenges.
For the minister, AMR constitutes one of the greatest global challenges today, simultaneously threatening human health, food security and sustainable development. He recalled that Algeria is not spared, and that this challenge requires a continuous evaluation of the progress recorded as well as a constant strengthening of the efforts undertaken.
Dr Aït Messaoudène returned to the achievements already accomplished within the framework of the National Plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. These include the institutionalization, since 2017, of the National Day to Combat AMR, as well as Algeria’s regular participation in the World Week for the Proper Use of Antibiotics.
He also highlighted the strengthening of the national surveillance network through membership in the global resistance monitoring system, allowing the country to benefit from reliable and internationally harmonized data. The involvement of the Pasteur Institute as a national reference laboratory also constitutes an essential pillar of this strategy.
In the same context, the minister noted the importance of monitoring resistance in the veterinary sector, carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture. An intersectoral approach supported by the development of national guides and protocols intended to promote the rational use of antibiotics and improve the management of infectious diseases. These achievements form, according to him, the basis of a sustainable strategy, even if they remain insufficient in the face of the rapid evolution of microbial resistance.
Dr Aït Mesaoudène also warned of the health and financial consequences of antimicrobial resistance. The latter leads to longer treatments, more costly hospitalizations and more serious complications, increasing both the burden on families and the pressure on health establishments. Faced with this observation, he called for strict monitoring of the National Plan to guarantee concrete and measurable results on the ground.
Referring to Algeria’s international commitments, particularly those made during the high-level meeting in New York, the minister recalled the priority areas that the country is committed to strengthening. This includes improving health governance according to the “One Health” approach, which encompasses human, animal and environmental dimensions.
The minister also insisted on the need to improve surveillance systems, consolidate infection prevention programs in hospitals, and increase awareness-raising actions against the abusive and anarchic use of antibiotics, one of the main drivers of resistance.
In this dynamic, Dr Aït Messaoudène called for the development of an updated national roadmap. This must be based on the rational use of antibiotics, the consolidation of cooperation between the health, agriculture and environment sectors, as well as the promotion of scientific research and innovation.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed Algeria’s total commitment to protecting the health of its citizens and fully investing in international initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance, officially opening the activities of the National Day and the World Week.