As stated by an international research report, Telangana stands third in India in the use of antibiotic medicines. Overuse or abuse of antibiotics will lead to increased antimicrobial resistance. This has often resulted in the emergence of superbugs that do not respond to even tertiary antibiotics.
Between 2011-2019, Telangana recorded the third highest consumption of antibiotics in the country, as per the report on annual consumption of antibiotics published in the latest issue of the scientific publication. The first and second places were acquired by Delhi and Punjab. At the national level, there was an overall decline in antibiotics consumption.
But there is a huge difference among states regarding the increase and decrease in the antibiotics use. The highest median consumption rate was recorded by Delhi, where about 1,000 people consume daily dose. While in Punjab, the number of people consuming daily doses of antibiotics include 23.5, whereas Punjab has 22.9 and Telangana has 15.3.
The annual consumption rate at the all-India level decreased by 3.6% between 2011-2019. The share of access antibiotics decreased to 13.1% and the access/watch ratio declined from 0.59 to 0.49. The rates varied across states and correctness of use decreased in most states over the years.
Researchers say that India is the largest consumer of antibiotics worldwide in terms of absolute volume. Indian studies have reported poor prescription of broad spectrum antibiotics without proof of bacterial infection.