Overcoming the antimicrobial resistance crisis in the context of a full-scale war: Ukraine’s experience on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly
On behalf of Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Serhii Dubrov visited the United States of America to participate in high-level events at the 79th UN General Assembly.
On September 25, the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York hosted an event dedicated to promoting solidarity among countries to fight antimicrobial resistance in the WHO European Region and beyond. The meeting was opened by the Minister of Health of Sweden, Acko Ankarberg Johansson, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge.
Ministers from the European and Asian regions presented a global plan to overcome antimicrobial resistance and steps to curb its growth.
In his speech, Serhii Dubrov reported on the measures taken by Ukraine to curb antimicrobial resistance and outlined the key issues of antimicrobial resistance in the context of war.
“Despite the fact that antibiotic resistance is a global problem, the full-scale war that russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than two and a half years has exacerbated this issue. The war has increased the number of infections associated with combat injuries that require antibiotic treatment, and has also interrupted the provision of important medical services, such as vaccinations, in the frontline and temporarily occupied territories.”
In addition, on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, Serhii Dubrov held a series of bilateral meetings with his colleagues from Armenia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. The talks focused on several issues important for our country: the state and urgent needs of the healthcare system, adaptation of the medical industry to growing needs amid the destruction of healthcare facilities and the country’s energy system as a whole, reconstruction of medical facilities, rehabilitation, and development of psychological assistance. They also talked about consolidating efforts to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and outlined practical steps to help Ukraine and the possibility of conducting working visits shortly.
On September 26, a high-level event dedicated to antimicrobial resistance was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, during which a political declaration was approved. The document contains commitments to a clear set of goals and actions, including a 10% reduction by 2030 of the 4.95 million human deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance annually.