ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Italy has a National Health Service that all other countries envy us, but unfortunately we are in last place in Europe in terms of the fight against antibiotic resistance. It’s important to remember that antibiotics should be taken when necessary always under strict medical guidance, you absolutely should not use do-it-yourself in this sensitive field because antibiotics used improperly cause resistance and then some diseases that can be treated, such as pneumonia, perhaps become more difficult to deal with.” Health Minister Orazio Schillaci told “Unomattina” on Raiuno. According to the WHO in 2050, antibiotic resistance could cause more than 39 million deaths worldwide. “We absolutely must avert this danger: we are making an effort, 21 million euros have been put into the budget law to encourage research into new antibiotics that are able to defeat bacteria that have become resistant to traditional antibiotics, however, it takes everyone’s commitment: it is a battle to be done together,” Schillaci stressed.
“The data we have in our possession testify how often precisely in the most fragile ages – older people or pediatric patients – there is an excessive use of antibiotics: for this, we are starting with specific training courses, aimed in particular at family physicians,” who “have the closest relationship with citizens: it is up to them to be the guide for a responsible use of antibiotics in all age groups. The best thing is always to refer to the doctor; self-prescription and self-administration should be avoided.” In hospitals, “special care must be taken, especially for frail patients, the elderly or those with serious illnesses: it is precisely to them that antibiotics must be administered when necessary.” For the minister, “this is not only a health aspect, but also an economic one because obviously the time people spend inside hospitals is extended: we must avoid this, also because the money that can be saved from a battle such as the one we are leading together can be used, for example, to give patients access to new cancer therapies,” he concluded.
– Photo Agency Photogram –
(ITALPRESS).
