Antibiotics have quietly shaped modern healthcare, making surgeries safer, infections treatable, and recovery faster. But today, these life-saving medicines are losing their power. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is no longer a distant threat; it is already affecting hospitals, clinics, and communities across India.
Recognising this urgency, the Government of India released the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2.0 for 2025–2029, renewing the country’s commitment to protect antibiotics and strengthen health systems.
This updated plan is not just about policy. It directly affects how healthcare providers practice, how communities access care, and how infections are prevented before antibiotics are even needed.
Why AMR Matters in India Right Now
India faces a high burden of infectious diseases alongside widespread antibiotic use. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), resistance has been steadily increasing for commonly used antibiotics across priority pathogens, making routine infections harder and more expensive to treat.
Surveillance data from the ICMR Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network shows rising resistance to last-line antibiotics in both hospital and community settings - a clear signal that action cannot be delayed. NAP-AMR 2.0 builds on this evidence and aims to move India from reacting to resistance toward preventing it.
What Is NAP-AMR 2.0?
NAP-AMR 2.0 is India’s five-year national strategy to contain antimicrobial resistance across human health, animal health, agriculture, food systems, and the environment. Led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and coordinated by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the plan strengthens and expands the first national action plan launched in 2017.
What makes this version different is its stronger focus on:
- Implementation at state and district levels
- Capacity building for frontline workers
- Integration of surveillance, prevention, and responsible antibiotic use
What NAP-AMR 2.0 Means for Healthcare Providers
Stronger Support for Rational Antibiotic Use - For doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, the plan reinforces antimicrobial stewardship, ensuring antibiotics are prescribed only when needed, in the right dose and duration. This is critical as inappropriate prescribing remains a key driver of resistance.
NAP-AMR 2.0 calls for stewardship programmes to be strengthened across tertiary hospitals, medical colleges, and progressively at secondary and primary care levels.
Better Diagnostics and Surveillance - One of the biggest challenges clinicians face is treating infections without reliable diagnostic support. The plan prioritises expanding laboratory capacity and linking facilities and labs to national surveillance systems, helping providers make evidence-based treatment decisions. Data generated through national surveillance will also guide updated treatment guidelines and policies.
Training and Capacity Building - NAP-AMR 2.0 places renewed emphasis on continuous training for healthcare professionals, from infection prevention practices to antibiotic prescribing and waste management. This recognises that AMR containment depends not just on policy, but on everyday clinical decisions.
ECHO India’s Antimicrobial Stewardship programs in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh are directly aligned with the NAP-AMR 2.0’s goals of empowering healthcare professionals with case-based prescribing practices, enhanced infection prevention, and peer-supported learning. These initiatives translate national strategy into everyday clinical decision-making at district and primary health levels.
What It Means for Communities
In many communities, antibiotics are still seen as quick fixes for fever, cough, or viral illnesses. NAP-AMR 2.0 prioritises public awareness and behaviour change, helping people understand when antibiotics are necessary and when they can do more harm than good.
The plan highlights infection prevention as a powerful tool against AMR. Better hygiene, vaccination coverage, sanitation, and clean water reduce infections and reduce the need for antibiotics altogether. These measures directly benefit families, schools, and community health settings.
By addressing antibiotic use in animals, food production, and environmental waste, the plan acknowledges that resistance can spread far beyond healthcare facilities. Safer practices across sectors ultimately protect communities from resistant infections.
A Shared Responsibility
Antimicrobial resistance cannot be solved by policies alone. It requires everyday action, from how antibiotics are prescribed, to how infections are prevented, to how communities understand and use medicines.
India’s National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 is an important step forward. For healthcare providers, it offers structure and support. For communities, it promises safer care and stronger prevention. Together, these efforts can help preserve antibiotics, not just for today, but for generations to come.