By Lilian Ntege
The Ministry of Health has placed pharmacists at the centre of Uganda’s fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that the country risks a public health disaster if misuse of antibiotics continues unchecked.
During a professional gathering organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) in Kampala on Thursday, Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine said pharmacists have both the expertise and the responsibility to curb irrational medicine use.
She cautioned that easy access to antibiotics without proper prescriptions remains one of the biggest drivers of resistance. “People walk into pharmacies and obtain medicines without guidance, unaware of the catastrophic consequences this practice creates. We are already seeing patients in referral hospitals who have run out of effective treatment options,” Dr Atwine observed.
The Ministry of Health official stressed that pharmacists must move beyond theory and lead by enforcing rational prescribing and dispensing practices. She called for stronger collaboration between pharmacists, clinicians, regulators and the public to reduce the growing threat.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites adapt in ways that render medicines ineffective, making common infections harder to treat. Experts warn that without decisive action; AMR could reverse decades of medical progress and increase treatment costs for families and the health system.
Uganda’s pharmacists are now being challenged to step up as frontline defenders, using their knowledge and proximity to patients to protect communities from one of the world’s fastest-growing health threats.