Health and Safety Advisory Centre supports From People to Leaders: "Vulnerable populations need access to antibiotics"

The Health and Safety Advisory Center (HSAC) in Penang, Malaysia is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting public health and safety through education, research, and policy advocacy. Established in 2010, HSAC serves as a hub for health professionals, researchers, and community leaders to collaborate on addressing pressing health issues in Malaysia and the broader Southeast Asian region. The center's core focus areas include infectious disease prevention, occupational health and safety, and environmental health. HSAC is renowned for its community outreach programs, which provide vital health education and resources to underserved populations in Penang and surrounding areas.

In this interview Dr T.Jayabalan, Founder of HSAC explains why his organization has supported the People to Leaders: Act on AMR Now! campaign and his concerns about the rapid global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

What motivated your organization to support the ‘From People to Leaders: Act on AMR Now’ and sign this Call for Global Action?

– My organization’s support for this campaign stems from the cognizance that the lay public and poor communities that we work with need to have greater understanding of AMR. A study done in 2018, amongst the community in a poor suburb very close to the city of Georgetown, revealed that the majority had no clue as to what AMR meant.

–  Further, they had no idea as to the impact AMR posed as a major public health policy issue. In another study done in the suburbs of mainland, Penang on pregnant women also corroborated the findings.

– Presently, working with the community adjoining my centre, a need was felt to communicate to the community in this area the issue of AMR. There is a large community which comprises secondary schools, churches and different temples, the need was felt to engage this people and, in that process, sensitise them to the issue of AMR. The process will lead to creation of leaders who can then be engage the community as leaders for this issue.

The Call highlights how AMR disproportionately impacts vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Why do you think it’s important for civil society groups and communities to come together and raise their collective voice on this issue? Based on your work, what are some examples you have seen of how AMR affects these communities?

– The marginalized and vulnerable communities form a huge component in the area of our work. They are the urban poor living in an overcrowded public housing areas, a large number of migrant workers coming from low income countries housed in overcrowded dormitories where 30 occupants live in a small floor area. This vulnerable segment needs access to antibiotics in the first place and this access is denied as healthcare is prohibitively expensive in the private sector.

One of the key requests in the Call is for governments to ensure meaningful participation of civil society in AMR governance and policymaking.

Why do you think this inclusive approach is critical, and what mechanisms would you like to see established to facilitate this engagement? What specific actions should governments take to address these inequities?

– Specific actions that can be taken are to improve financial resources to civil society organisations so that the engagement process with different stakeholders can be participatory in nature.

– For instance, the in food-animal sector there is rampant use of antibiotics as growth promoters and the engagement of education of these stakeholders will help mitigate the problem.

– There is another area of concern which is the related to ‘medical tourism’, which will contribute to cross-border spread of AMR. This has to be engaged meaningfully with the private health providers.