Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen has raised her worry about theincreasing antibiotic resistance caused by inappropriate use intreatment of anti-bacterial contamination in Vietnam.

Anti-bacterialcontamination now accounts a large proportion of diseases in thecountry, the health official said at the launch of a national actionplan on anti-drug resistance in Hanoi on August 5.

Responding tothe World Health Organisation’s appeal “No action today means no curetomorrow”, Vietnam has developed its national action plan for the2013-20 period, Xuyen said.

According to the official, the actionplan requires joint efforts and commitments of all ministries andsectors from central to local levels in order to prevent the situation.

Expertsin disease control and clinic pharmacy from hospitals nationwide andrelevant agencies, and World Health Organisation (WHO) representativesshared view on global drug resistance and solutions to prevent theincrease of antimicrobial resistance while emphasising the role ofbacterial contamination control in the fight against drug resistance atsome hospitals in Vietnam.

According to WHO, in 2012 Vietnamranked 14th among the 27 countries having highest number of multi-drugresistant TB patients.

In the face of the situation, Vietnam hastogether with Western Pacific countries committed to implementing thenational action plan on drug resistance and endeavouring to the globalbattle against anti-drug resistance.

The national action planprovides the situation, points out causes and effects of anti-drugresistance in the health sector as well as in cultivation, animalhusbandry and aquaculture. It offers solutions to prevent the situationfrom becoming hazardous.-VNA