Mainstreaming antimicrobial resistance into primary health care: international workshop report

The WHO report Mainstreaming antimicrobial resistance into primary health care: International workshop report (2025) summarizes a multi-country workshop held in Bangkok that aimed to integrate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) interventions into primary health care (PHC)-oriented health systems as a core strategy for strengthening universal health coverage. Recognizing that 80–90% of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care, the report emphasizes embedding antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), appropriate antimicrobial use (AMU), infection prevention and control (IPC), surveillance, and community engagement within PHC policies and service delivery. Drawing on country experiences (including Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Sweden), it identifies key challenges such as weak policy integration, limited AMR data, insufficient funding, over-the-counter antibiotic sales, workforce capacity gaps, and low prioritization of AMR. The workshop introduced practical tools, notably the WHO AMR-PHC scoping tool, to help countries align AMR-sensitive actions with PHC reforms, strengthen governance and multisectoral collaboration, and promote sustained behavioural change at provider and community levels. The overall conclusion is that systematically integrating AMR into PHC-oriented systems—supported by political commitment, financing, data-driven stewardship, regulation, and community education—is essential to build resilient health systems capable of mitigating AMR sustainably.