Opinion Call antimicrobial resistance by its name

“When antibiotics are used without need, they lose their power.” A simple but powerful message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last Mann Ki Baat of 2025 brought the discussion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) out of hospital corridors and into the public sphere. For decades, AMR has been discussed largely within scientific, clinical, and policy circles, while remaining invisible in mainstream political discourse. The significance of this message lies not only in awareness but in accountability. When AMR is acknowledged on a platform like Mann Ki Baat, it signals that antibiotic misuse is a national concern requiring collective responsibility — from patients and providers to regulators and policymakers. It also creates space for stronger enforcement of prescription norms, investment in diagnostics, and stewardship programmes that have long awaited political backing.

Historically, some of the most successful global public-health advances have followed visible and sustained political leadership. When leaders champion a health issue, it brings visibility, legitimacy, and urgency, mobilising public attention, media coverage, and cross-sectoral engagement. It unlocks sustained funding, strengthens institutional accountability, and accelerates policy formulation and implementation. Leadership advocacy also helps overcome stigma, align fragmented stakeholders, and integrate the issue into broader development and security agendas. By openly acknowledging HIV/AIDS and challenging stigma, Nelson Mandela transformed HIV from a taboo topic into a national priority, accelerating treatment access and rights-based responses. During his time in office and later through his NGO, US President Bill Clinton transformed the global HIV response by pushing for dramatic reductions in the cost of antiretroviral therapy, expanding access to treatment in low- and middle-income countries, and mobilising political and private-sector support. David Cameron, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, was an early high-profile political voice on AMR, and his actions helped shape global AMR policy. Modi’s emphasis aligns India with global health priorities at a time when drug-resistant infections threaten to reverse decades of medical progress. As one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of antibiotics, India’s recognition of its AMR challenge enhances its credibility on global platforms such as the G20 and WHO. More importantly, it underscores that safeguarding against overuse of antibiotics is central to India’s health security and development.

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In a country where self-medication and over-the-counter antibiotic use are widespread, the PM’s words challenge the deeply ingrained belief that antibiotics are quick fixes for all infections and strengthen the hands of clinicians, pharmacists, and public health authorities who struggle daily against irrational prescribing and consumption. Political acknowledgement helps dismantle this culture of normalisation. It also legitimises the message that antibiotics are a shared societal resource, not consumer commodities.

Previously, the PM’s leadership on sanitation through the Swachh Bharat Mission elevated hygiene from a technical issue to a mass movement, producing measurable gains. Acknowledgement of AMR is a foundational step toward sustained, coordinated, and accountable action. In a slow-burning crisis where inaction today guarantees catastrophe tomorrow, leadership that names the problem is leadership that makes solutions possible.

The writer is senior scientist and programme officer, AMR, ICMR