The local Health Bureau will start demanding the territory’s pharmacies and other health facilities to provide declarations every three months detailing the quantities and types of antibiotics sold. The measure came into effect yesterday and aims to ensure the correct use of antibiotics and to reduce bacterial resistance to their effects, according to a Health Bureau release. Any entity that provides antibiotics will now be required to submit a mandatory report to the Health Bureau every three months with information on the sale, consumption and inventory of oral and injectable antibiotics – to be held by the government for two years. These requirements will be applicable to hospitals, health centers, private clinics, community pharmacies, import and export firms, and medication bulk sales companies. The government decision is part of the 2016 Global Action for Fighting Bacterial Resistance by the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance and optimisation of the use of antimicrobial agents.
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