Philip Mathew is a public health researcher and currently AMR advisor at The International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions. Philip also served as a consultant at the ReAct Asia Pacific, a global network dedicated to tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance. ReAct was one of the first international networks to articulate the complex nature of antibiotic resistance and advocates for the need for multidisciplinary and multisectoral collaborations in addressing it. Philip recently spearheaded a consultation meeting with a diverse set of stakeholders including, Superheroes Against Superbugs, on the feasibility of a State Action Plan on AMR in Telangana. In this interview, Philip takes us through various ways in which ReAct is spreading awareness and promoting community and policy action to address the growing problem of AMR in India and globally.
Policy Talk
Farming Sustainably to Fight AMR with G.V.Ramanjaneyulu
Agriculture, on which 70% of the rural households are dependent, accounts for around 22% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country. Even though agriculture forms the backbone of our economy, Indian farmers are under a lot of distress due to multiple social, economic and environmental factors which are threatening their livelihood. One of the ways in which farmers protect their crops from diseases is by using antibiotics. This rampant and excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture today is a major driver of AMR. But do farmers have a choice? As a veteran agricultural researcher and an experienced executive director of a non-profit organization, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), G.V. Ramanjeneyulu shares his thoughts on controlling the spread of AMR in agriculture.
Building Evidence to Stop Superbugs with Jyoti Joshi
Jyoti Joshi, Head of South Asia, Center for Disease Dynamics Economics and Policy (CDDEP), is a public health researcher studying drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and has co-authored a critical scoping report on the Antimicrobial Resistance Research Landscape in India. Jyoti has also been closely involved in improving immunization coverage across India including the Mission Indradhanush of the Government of India. In this interview, Jyoti shares important insights on various aspects of AMR to help us understand that solving this crisis would require action at every level of society across the world.
From Surviving AMR to Advocating Action with Pranav Johri
Pranav Johri is a patient-turned-entrepreneur who founded Vitalis Phage Therapy to help patients with bacterial infections access Phage Therapy. Phage Therapy utilises bacteria-eating viruses called ‘bacteriophages’ that kill infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. In this interview, Pranav shares with us his lived experience with multi-pathogenic antibiotic-resistant infection and how it was treated by Phage Therapy. Pranav tells us how this experience with an untreatable infection and new biomedical intervention was the motivation behind establishing Vitalis Phage Therapy that has provided much-needed support to a large number of patients. Dive into this interview to learn more about his gruelling yet inspiring journey of surviving a deadly infection and how he turned adversity into opportunity.
Superheroes Against Superbugs 