Published:1 July 2025, 11:54 am


A group of over 70 leading infectious disease and public health experts have issued an open letter to the Department of Health, calling for the urgent reinstatement of a national action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in South Africa.

The letter, addressed to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, warns that AMR poses a “growing threat” to the country’s health system and undermines the goal of achieving universal health coverage through the National Health Insurance (NHI). The call to action comes as South Africa’s second national AMR strategy, which covered the period from 2018 to 2024, has officially lapsed with no updated plan in place.

Globally, over one million deaths annually are directly attributed to AMR, and nearly five million people die from drug-resistant infections. Without urgent intervention, projections estimate that 40 million people could die from AMR-related causes over the next 25 years.

Professor Marc Mendelson, an infectious disease specialist at Groote Schuur Hospital and one of the letter’s signatories, described AMR as a “current pandemic” that is not being adequately addressed in South Africa. “More and more patients are being treated for highly resistant infections, which increases hospital stays, mortality rates, and healthcare costs,” he said. “Common interventions, including surgery, are becoming increasingly risky.”
 

The experts are also calling for the reinstatement of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AMR, which was disbanded in November 2023, or the creation of an equivalent scientific advisory body. They argue that the absence of such a body limits the government’s ability to make evidence-based decisions.

“The health and well-being of South Africans depend on urgent, coordinated action,” the letter states. It urges the Department of Health to honour South Africa’s commitment to the 2024 UN General Assembly’s political declaration on AMR, which requires nations to maintain updated national action plans with dedicated funding and cross-sector coordination.

In response, Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale stated that the department will comment once the letter is formally received. As of writing this story, no response has been forthcoming.