23/12/2025
Pakistan is facing a growing public health crisis due to the unnecessary use or incomplete doses of antibiotics, with medical experts warning that antimicrobial resistance is claiming between 200,000 and 300,000 lives in the country every year — either directly or indirectly.
Doctors say there has been a sharp rise in the number of critically ill patients whose infections are caused by multidrug-resistant organisms, particularly in ICUs. They warn, if the current trend continues, AMR could emerge as one of the leading causes of death.
Meanwhile, microbiologist Dr Syeda Sadaf Akbar said Pakistan ranks 29th among 204 countries in terms of antibiotic resistance. She said available data indicate that 200,000 to 300,000 people die each year in Pakistan due to AMR, either directly or indirectly, and warned that the resistance rate continues to rise annually, with global data showing an increase of 5 to 15 per cent.
Courtesy: Tribune
