Punjab Online Drug Information : Health & Family Welfare

Organization : Punjab Department of Health and Family Welfare
Service Name : Online Drug Information
State : Punjab

Website : http://onlinedruginfo.punjab.gov.in/

Online Drug Information Portal:

** Pilot Project has been launched in Jan Aushadhi centre of Pathankot, Punjab. The Project’s objective is to empower citizens by providing the information regarding the availability of medicines in their local Medical Shops and also giving them option of online booking of medicines.

Related : Punjab OCMMS Online Consent Management System : www.statusin.in/15861.html

** A unique endeavour to connect citizen with his local Chemist/Pharmacist by giving their contact details on the portal, so that this information be valuable in emergency hours. Further, this mechanism will facilitate the Department in overseeing and monitoring the sale of prescription based medicines, thus preventing misuse/overuse.

Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring:
** Antimicrobial resistance in pathogens causing important communicable diseases has become a matter of great public health concern globally including our country. Resistance has emerged even to newer, more potent antimicrobial agents like carbapenems.

** The factors responsible for this are widespread use and availability of practically all the antimicrobials across the counter meant for human, animal and industrial consumption. There are definite policies / guidelines for appropriate use of antimicrobials at national level in specific national health programmes being run in the country e.g. RNTCP, National AIDS control programme, etc.

** For other diseases of public health importance like enteric fever, diarrhoeal disease, respiratory infections, etc the individual hospitals are following their own antimicrobial policies and hospital infection control guidelines.

** To monitor antimicrobial resistance it is necessary to have regulations for use and misuse of antibiotics in the country, creation of national surveillance system for antibiotic resistance, mechanism of monitoring prescription audits, regulatory provision for monitoring use of antibiotics in human, veterinary & industrial sectors and identification of specific intervention measures for rational use of antibiotics.

In this regard a task force has been constituted with following terms of reference :
1. To review the current situation regarding manufacture, use and misuse of antibiotics in the country.
2. To recommend the design for creation of a national Surveillance System for Antibiotic Resistance

3. To initiate studies documenting prescriptions patterns & establish a Monitoring system for the same.
4. To enforce and enhance regulatory provisions for use of antibiotics in human & veterinary and industrial use.

5. To recommend specific intervention measures such as rational use of antibiotics and antibiotic policies in hospitals
6. Diagnostic Methods pertaining to antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring

The official from Animal husbandry Department was co-opted for providing inputs on use of antimicrobials in veterinary sector. The members of the task force worked on various ToRs and made a work plan for monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in the country.

Terms Of Reference Of The Task Force Committee :
1. Review the current situation regarding manufacture, use and misuse of antibiotics in the country.
2. Design for creation of a National Surveillance System for antibiotic resistance.

3. Studies documenting prescription patterns and establish a monitoring system for the same.
4. Enforce and enhance regulatory provisions for use of antibiotics in human veterinary and industrial use.

5. Specific intervention measures such as rational use of antibiotics and antibiotic policies in hospitals which can be implemented, as early as possible.
6. Diagnostic Methods pertaining to antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring