Share News that unites, stories that inspire!

Tweet

India’s Antibiotic Warning: Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Call on Antimicrobial Resistance Matters to Every Citizen

In his recent Mann Ki Baat address, Narendra Modi issued a rare but urgent public health warning: the careless and incomplete use of antibiotics is pushing India—and the world—towards a dangerous future where common infections may no longer be curable. Citing findings from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Prime Minister cautioned citizens against self-medication, stopping antibiotics midway, and using drugs without medical advice, calling antibiotic resistance a threat that should “worry everyone.”

The timing of the intervention is critical. Across Indian hospitals and communities, doctors are increasingly encountering infections that no longer respond to standard antibiotics. Patients are facing longer hospital stays, rising treatment costs, and higher risks of complications and death due to drug-resistant bacteria. Modi’s statement elevates antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from a technical medical issue to a national public health priority—one that affects families, healthcare systems, and economic productivity alike.

What is antimicrobial resistance—and how does misuse cause it?

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria evolve the ability to survive drugs designed to kill them. Antibiotics do not make people resistant; they make bacteria resistant. This happens faster when antibiotics are misused or overused, especially through:

• Taking antibiotics without consulting a qualified doctor
• Using the wrong drug, dose, or duration
• Stopping treatment once symptoms improve
• Sharing medicines or using leftover pills from previous illnesses

From a scientific perspective, every exposure to an antibiotic acts as a selection process. Susceptible bacteria die, but those with natural or acquired resistance survive and multiply. Over time, these resistant strains spread in hospitals, households, and the environment. Eventually, once-reliable antibiotics become effectively “toothless.”

The scale of the crisis: India and the world

Antimicrobial resistance is already one of the world’s deadliest—and least visible—health threats. According to global estimates, drug-resistant bacterial infections were associated with 4.95 million deaths worldwide in 2019, with 1.27 million deaths directly caused by AMR.

India bears a disproportionate share of this burden. In 2019 alone:

• Around 2.97 lakh deaths in India were directly attributable to drug-resistant bacterial infections
• More than 10.4 lakh deaths were associated with Antimicrobial Resistance
• An estimated 58,000 newborns die every year from antibiotic-resistant sepsis

Because of high rates of multidrug-resistant organisms in both hospitals and communities, India is often described—uncomfortably—as the “Antimicrobial Resistance AMR capital of the world.” The term reflects systemic misuse of antibiotics rather than any single failure.

Why Modi’s warning targets Indian prescribing and pharmacy practices

The Prime Minister’s remarks align closely with years of research on antibiotic use in India. Despite strict Schedule H1 regulations, studies repeatedly show that a majority of retail pharmacies dispense antibiotics without a prescription. This pattern is driven by patient demand, affordability barriers to doctor consultations, familiarity with past prescriptions, and weak enforcement of existing laws.

Hospitals also contribute to the problem. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are frequently started empirically—before laboratory confirmation—and continued for longer than necessary. In many settings, microbiology culture tests and antimicrobial stewardship protocols are underused.

Public health experts and officials from the National Medical Commission and ICMR welcomed Modi’s statement, noting that a message from the highest political office can reinforce nationwide efforts to curb irrational antibiotic use in medical colleges, district hospitals, and tertiary care centres.

Common myths and misuse patterns—explained

Several deeply rooted misconceptions fuel antibiotic misuse in India:

• Antibiotics for viral infections: Many people take antibiotics for colds, flu, or most sore throats, even though antibiotics do not work against viruses.
• “Stronger is better”: Patients often demand a “strong” antibiotic for faster relief, regardless of medical need.
• Leftover medicine culture: Saving unused pills for future self-treatment is common.
• Informal prescribing: In many areas, chemists function as de facto prescribers.

The facts are clear. Antibiotics are not fever medicines or universal cures. Incomplete courses increase the risk of resistance and can make future infections harder, longer, and far more expensive to treat.

A drying antibiotic pipeline

Compounding the crisis is a stark scientific reality: the pipeline for new antibiotics is running dry. Over the last several decades, very few genuinely new classes of antibiotics have been discovered. Many once-celebrated “wonder drugs” have already lost effectiveness against resistant bacteria.

Global health agencies warn that if Antimicrobial Resistance continues unchecked, routine surgeries, cancer chemotherapy, organ transplants, and intensive care could become dramatically riskier. Infections that were once minor complications may again become life-threatening.

Policy, stewardship, and what must change

India does not lack policy frameworks. The National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, along with ICMR and NCDC stewardship programmes, already outlines measures such as surveillance, infection control, and rational prescribing. Expert bodies, including the National AMR Surveillance Network (NAMS) have long recommended stricter enforcement against over-the-counter antibiotic sales and stronger hospital stewardship systems.

Modi’s public warning could act as a catalyst—tightening enforcement on pharmacies, accelerating stewardship programmes in hospitals and medical colleges, and expanding public awareness campaigns that explain when antibiotics help and when they harm.

What citizens can do—science-based guidance

Antimicrobial Resistance is not only a policy or hospital problem; it is a societal one. Individuals can make a measurable difference by:

• Never self-medicate with antibiotics; always consult a qualified doctor
• Avoiding antibiotics for viral illnesses unless clearly prescribed
• Completing the full course exactly as advised
• Not sharing, storing, or reusing leftover medicines
• Maintaining vaccinations, hygiene, and infection-prevention practices

Every responsible choice helps preserve antibiotics for those who genuinely need them.

A collective responsibility

By invoking scientific evidence and speaking directly to citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has placed antimicrobial resistance firmly on India’s public agenda. The warning underscores a simple truth: the effectiveness of life-saving drugs depends on how responsibly they are used today.

Doctors, pharmacists, policymakers, and patients all shape the future of antibiotics. Without collective change, medicine risks losing one of its most powerful tools. With it, India can protect not only current patients, but generations to come.

Antimicrobial resistance India, PM Modi antibiotic warning, Antibiotic misuse India, AMR health crisis, ICMR antibiotic resistance, Antibiotic resistance deaths India, Over-the-counter antibiotic sales India, Mann Ki Baat health warning, Drug-resistant infections India, National Action Plan on AMR, Antibiotic stewardship India, AMR newborn deaths India