Call for greater involvement of patient organisations to address AMR
Reaction to the Political Declaration of the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance | 26 September 2024
The European Patients’ Forum (EPF) and The AMR Narrative welcome the emphasis on tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through a comprehensive approach highlighted during the High-Level Meeting on AMR on 26 September 2024. It is essential that member states and international organisations make concrete commitments to address this growing threat to patients’ safety and access to healthcare. However, more focus on patient participation and civil society engagement as well as concrete targets and measures are needed to translate principles into effective actions.
Patient organisations are at the forefront of the fight against AMR
We welcome the Declaration’s references to the need for participatory, inclusive and transparent approaches to health governance for AMR, including by enhancing a meaningful whole-of-society approach and social participation. We fully support the involvement of patients, AMR survivors and carers along with other stakeholders in the “design, implementation and review of national action plans on AMR, to systematically inform decisions that affect health so that policies, programmes and plans better respond to needs, while fostering trust in health systems”. However, beyond broad principles, clear mechanisms and resources are needed to make it happen in practice.
As we gear towards the 4th Ministerial Conference on AMR in November 2024 in Saudi Arabia, "From Declaration to Implementation: Accelerating Actions Through Multisectoral Partnerships for the Containment of AMR", we call on decision-makers to:
- Prioritise health literacy. Reliable, relevant and understandable information is not only a person’s right, but also contributes to empowerment and increased awareness of the risks of antibiotics’ misuse. This includes developing capacity-building programmes for patient organisations to enhance their knowledge of AMR and involve patient organisations as active partners and multipliers in public awareness campaigns.
- Establish concrete mechanisms and allocate resources to achieve meaningful and systematic involvement of civil society and patient organisations in AMR policy-making. We call on Member States to support the true implementation of a patient-centred approach to healthcare and health policy, which contributes to a better quality of care and a more effective response to patients’ needs.
- Funding and investment to support all countries in achieving AMR reduction targets, including community engagement and empowerment.
Read the full statement here.