Upscaling efforts to address Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections in Europe
Posted on 02.02.2023
MedTech Europe is a proud supporter of the European Patient Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, an initiative of Health First Europe, comprised of national patient associations from across Europe.
The AMR Patient Group aims to address the gap in awareness at the patient-level about the danger of antibiotic misuse and the lack of effective infection prevention and control measures. Since its launch in November 2020, the group has grown to a total of 29 associations from all over Europe and covering different types of diseases. Some of the group’s patient advocates have themselves suffered from resistant infections.
This coalition is the voice of European patients whose aim is to empower citizens with the necessary knowledge about antimicrobial resistance so that everyone understands when it is appropriate to take antibiotics and how to take them responsibly. Their high-level policy recommendations include better awareness and understanding of AMR and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), enhanced infection prevention and control measures, and promotion of the use of medical technologies to prevent AMR and HAIs.
A major milestone has been the creation of the MEP Ambassadors Group which currently includes 20 Members of the European Parliament, deeply committed to mobilising change and advocating for greater action against AMR by sustaining political interest at all levels. This has led to a major Parliament roundtable debate in October 2022, held under the patronage of the Czech Presidency of the Council. The event gathered high-profile representatives from the European institutions, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Sweden’s Ambassador on AMR, healthcare professionals and patients.
MedTech Europe contributed by highlighting the importance of the use of diagnostic tests and medical devices to help reduce infections and the related development of AMR throughout the entire patient pathway – before admission to the hospital or in the community, at the arrival at the ward, in the operating room, during the hospital stay and recovery, and when the patient is discharged and sent back home.
Better prevention measures can be adopted by patients and healthcare professionals alike, improving outcomes for individuals and for society as a whole.
This year MedTech Europe will continue its active support for the AMR Patient Group, which is planning to organise a high-level event in Spain in the second half of the year, in the context of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council.
For more information on the Health First Europe AMR Patient Group, please contact the coordinator Laura Cigolot or visit the official website.