Asia-Pacific Countries Develop Stronger Antimicrobial Resistance Plans, Face Funding Shortfalls
Asia-Pacific countries are developing more robust national action plans to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a critical global health threat. A recent article in the British Medical Journal Public Health, based on data from 28 Asia-Pacific nations, indicates that these plans are becoming more sophisticated, with a higher likelihood of being costed, including monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and featuring measurable targets. For instance, second-generation plans are twice as likely to be costed (67% versus 33%) and nearly three times as likely to contain monitoring and evaluation frameworks (93% versus 33%) compared to first plans. However, a significant challenge remains: most of these plans lack adequate funding for full implementation. Nearly half (49%) of the 27 countries with AMR plans are not costed at all, and only 44% are fully funded. Furthermore, 15 countries (56%) receive less than 30% of their total AMR funding from domestic sources, highlighting a heavy reliance on external partners. ...
