A. Foreword
Supporting the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy Framework and the Guidelines on Implementation of the Antimicrobial Strategy in South Africa: One Health Approach and Governance, 2018
South Africa pledged its commitment to the World Health Assembly resolution EB134/37 “Combating antimicrobial resistance including antibiotic resistance”, adopted in May 2014, to develop a National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). By October 2014 our AMR National Strategic Framework, 2014-2024 was developed and launched with the commitment of most of the key stakeholders within human and animal health, agriculture, and science and technology sectors to support interventions to combat AMR in the country.
The AMR Strategic Framework defines South Africa’s approach to manage AMR and limit further increases in resistant microbial infections and improve patient outcomes and livestock production and health. The vision is “to ensure the appropriate use of antimicrobials by healthcare and animal health professionals in all health establishments in South Africa to conserve the efficacy of antimicrobials for the optimal management of infections in human and animal health”.
A key component of the Strategic Framework is the institutionalisation of AMR activities within all health facilities in South Africa. The Guidelines for the Prevention and Containment of AMR in South African Hospitals aim to serve as a practical, step-by-step or ‘how to’ guide, addressing the infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) components of a robust response in a hospital.
Taking the holistic view that IPC and AMS are interrelated activities and require the same multidisciplinary and multimodal approach, these guidelines seek to introduce the implementation of prevention, containment and AMS activities.
The guidelines were developed by a task team of IPC and AMS experts from both the public and private sectors and reviewed by the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AMR, provincial AMR champions and experts in the public and private sectors working in AMR and IPC. These guidelines are therefore applicable to both the public and private health sectors.
Working together we can change direction to contain AMR and ensure that people have access to safe and effective antimicrobials.
Ms Precious Matsoso
Director-General: National Department of Health