The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has joined the global health community to commemorate the 2025 World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), observed from Tuesday, 18th November to Monday, 24th November 2025.
This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future,” underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to preserve the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobials.
The 2015 World Health Assembly Global Action Plan on AMR emphasised the need for improved awareness, stronger stewardship, and coordinated global action.
In a statement signed by its President, Pharm. Paul Owusu Donkor, the group noted that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder or impossible to treat.
The highlighted some consequences of that Antimicrobial Resistance.
“The consequences are devastating: prolonged illness, increased healthcare costs, disability, and death. AMR threatens modern medicine and endangers essential procedures such as surgeries, cancer therapy, childbirth, and management of chronic illnesses.”
The Society called on government, regulators, and implementing agencies to intensify enforcement of existing policies on antimicrobial use, infection prevention, and pharmaceutical regulation. Stronger oversight, it says, is essential to slowing resistance and safeguarding national health systems.
The PSGH urges the public to take practical steps to reduce AMR:
- Allow health professionals to determine the need for antibiotics.
- Think twice and seek professional advice before taking any medicine, particularly antibiotics.
- Misuse, overuse, and abuse of antibiotics put everyone at risk.
- Taking antibiotics when they are not needed accelerates resistance.
- AMR affects people of all ages, in every country.
- Resistant infections lead to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, severe illness, and more deaths.
- Limit close contact with others when sick.
- Vaccination prevents infections and slows the spread of resistance.
- Practise safe sex to reduce sexually transmitted infections.
- Wash hands regularly and maintain good sanitation.
- Handle, prepare, and store food hygienically.
They called on Ghanaians to join the global effort to preserve the power of lifesaving antimicrobials, emphasizing that pharmacists remain committed to educating the public on responsible antibiotic use and supporting healthcare teams to ensure safe and effective antimicrobial therapy.
Read full statement below
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