World AMR Awareness Week 2023: Recognising the #VoicesOfAMR

Each year from the 18 – 24 November, the global health community unites to recognise World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), which seeks to raise awareness and understanding of AMR while also promoting best practices to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. 

The theme for the 2023 World AMR Awareness Week remained the same as last year, underscoring the importance of “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together”. 

The topic of preventing antimicrobial resistance is central to a significant amount of THET’s work, through the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) 2 Programme.

Funded by the UK Department for Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund, and managed by THET and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA), CwPAMS 2 funds Health Partnerships between UK and African health institutions focused on strengthening antimicrobial stewardship. 

To mark WAAW 2023, we partnered with the CPA to shine a light on the incredible health workers on the frontline of delivering and improving antimicrobial stewardship through the CwPAMS programme. Sharing portraits and short stories from pharmacists on social media, we dubbed our campaign #VoicesOfAMR. 

Meet the #VoicesOfAMR below: 

“Once you have patients, they will listen to you and they will do the right thing, then you can reduce the disease burden.”

🗣️Sallaymatu Boi Kamara, Head Pharmacist at Connaught Hospital, on how to tackle drug resistance. #VoicesOfAMR #WAAW #AMR #CwPAMS pic.twitter.com/vsfRYeCASn

— THET (@THETlinks) November 20, 2023

“Our staff now understand the importance of ordering medication based on lab evidence, like blood count & sensitivity tests. This has led to a greater commitment to rational antibiotic use.”

🗣️ Hope Michael C., pharmacist at Kamuzu Central Hospital.#VoicesOfAMR #WAAW #CwPAMS pic.twitter.com/v3JJfnMqzb

— Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (@CW_Pharmacists) November 21, 2023

“Some antibiotics were prolonged, and others were misused. The introduction of the charts has guided us so much on how we’re supposed to use antibiotics.”

💊 Juliet Nkalamo, clinician at Chipata Central Hospital, Zambia, on how #CwPAMS is improving #AMS. #VoicesOfAMR #WAAW pic.twitter.com/yTP4SEg6nW

— THET (@THETlinks) November 22, 2023

“We aim to share our knowledge and best practices through training, turning our hospital into a centre of excellence that can support other hospitals nationwide.”

💡Ivan, AMS Committee Co-lead at Connaught Hospital.#VoicesOfAMR #WAAW #CwPAMS #CPApharm pic.twitter.com/dJY3p6RPQ2

— Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (@CW_Pharmacists) November 23, 2023