The Department of Health (DOH), through the collaboration of its Pharmaceutical Division (PD) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), conducted the 4th National Dissemination Forum (NDF) on the Antimicrobial Use Point Prevalence Survey on 25-26 August 2022 at the Crimson Hotel, Alabang.

The two-day forum was simultaneously broadcasted live for online participants joining through a Zoom call. There were over 400 participants, with 100 people present at the hotel and up to 300 people in the Zoom meeting room.

The first day was dedicated to presenting updates on the Global Antimicrobial Use-Point Prevalence Survey, the DOH Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Program, the 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program (ARSP) Annual Report, and the results of the National Antimicrobial Point Prevalence Survey (APPS). On the last day, select hospitals under the APPS Program shared their antimicrobial use prevalence data and how the data was used to improve their respective antimicrobial stewardship programs. 

Questions from the live and online participants were entertained during the open forum at the end of all presentations each day.

The forum is annually conducted to cascade national and hospital data on antimicrobial consumption and resistance and how it has complemented the implementation of the DOH AMS Program in the country.

In 2017, RITM initiated the conduct of the Antimicrobial Use-Point Prevalence Survey (AMU-PPS) in select hospitals nationwide with the goal of promoting the prudent use of antimicrobials. Since then, it has grown and evolved with 80 participating hospitals across the Philippines.

“There were 16 hospitals who initially joined this initiative and now it has grown with 80 public and private hospitals from different parts of the country. I hope that we will all continue to join hands to strengthen the hospital AMS program and thus, help combat the antimicrobial resistance in the country,” says RITM Director Celia Carlos, calling for the continued support of the participating hospitals to the AMS program in her welcoming remarks.  

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health concern globally and the Philippine government has committed to championing initiatives that will address AMR in the country, one of which is ARSP helmed by RITM. 

ARSP generates a yearly summary report on the resistance rates of select aerobic bacterial pathogens of public health importance causing common infectious diseases with significant morbidity and mortality locally. The AMU-PPS serves to complement these resistance data.

By Reina Manongsong, Communication and Engagement Office