Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 04:09 PM UTC

Health Ministry: 1,635 hospitals conduct AMR control program

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Mecca Yumna, Raka Adji

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Health has reported 1,635 hospitals (51 percent) have submitted reports on implementing the Antimicrobial Resistance Control Program.

The move serves as a key initiative aimed at reducing global deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono explained AMR occurs when germs develop resistance to antibiotics, making it a tangible threat that no single country can tackle alone.

According to 2021 data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), AMR directly caused 1.14 million deaths and was associated with 4.71 million other deaths worldwide.

In Indonesia, AMR was directly responsible for 36,500 deaths and linked to 147,000 deaths in the same year.

"AMR is a silent pandemic whose impact is anything but silent. No single country can sweep it away alone," Harbuwono said.

The 2024 United Nations Political Declaration has set several global targets to bring AMR under control by 2030.

The targets include a 10 percent reduction in the 4.95 million deaths linked to bacterial AMR, at least 60 percent of countries having funded national action plans, and 70 percent of human antibiotic use coming from WHO's safer and more effective Access group.

At the national level, the Ministry of Health continues to strengthen AMR control through the 2025-2029 National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance Control, the 2025–2029 Health Sector National Strategy, and the reinforcement of hospital-based AMR control programs.

Surveillance has also been expanded from 69 hospitals in 2023 to 139 in 2024, supported by broader data monitoring of WHO priority bacteria and the designation of national reference laboratories.

On the laboratory capacity front, he noted microbiology mapping shows 131 out of 514 districts and cities now have the equipment and trained personnel needed to perform cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

In addition to strengthen the surveillance systems, Harbuwono urged physicians to prescribe antibiotics rationally and strictly in line with medical indications, warning that inappropriate use risks accelerating resistance.

As part of efforts to tighten antibiotic governance, the ministry has begun incorporating antibiotic susceptibility testing and antibiogram mapping into hospital accreditation assessments.

These measures are expected to help medical workers deliver targeted treatment, curb microbial resistance, and protect the public from antibiotic overuse while maintaining healthcare service quality.

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