SIWI part of health delegation to India
SIWI formed part of the delegation when the Swedish Minister for Health and Social Affairs, Lena Hallengren, visited India 22-25 February. The importance of limiting pharmaceutical effluents from the antibiotics industry was high on the agenda.
SIWI’s extensive work to limit pharmaceutical effluents from the production of, for example, antibiotics has received much attention. Katarina Veem, Director for Swedish Water House and International Policy at SIWI, was therefore invited to join a delegation to India led by the Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Lena Hallengren.
The visit took place 22-25 February as part of the India-Sweden Health Year, with the purpose of strengthening the successful cooperation on health issues between the two nations. Not least have both countries made strong commitments when it comes to combating antimicrobial resistance, which could otherwise make life-saving antibiotics non-effective.
The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance is not only linked to over-consumption of antibiotics but also to effluents from the production of medicine. SIWI works with different stakeholders to raise awareness of the issue and encourage new practices. During her visit to India, Ms Veem addressed these environmental challenges in a panel and in numerous roundtable discussions. The participation also opened new collaborative opportunities for SIWI in this area.
Indian media report that both the Indian and the Swedish governments vowed to intensify their cooperation to combat antimicrobial resistance.
