The Angolan Government is dedicated to enhancing its National Integrated and Comprehensive Surveillance System to track the use of antimicrobials and resistance patterns across human, animal, and environmental health sectors, as recently affirmed by Angolan Health Minister Sílvia Lutucuta in the United States.
Speaking at the High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, she emphasized that this system provides real-time data essential for shaping public health policies and adjusting plans, including clinical guidelines.
The government has made strides in promoting and controlling the responsible use of antimicrobials in human, animal, and agricultural medicine, while improving regulations on their use.
Lutucuta noted that these efforts will only be effective with strong risk communication, public engagement from an early age, and professional education in related fields.
National campaigns to raise public awareness, along with integrating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) into the training of health, veterinary, and agricultural professionals, will be reinforced.
She also highlighted that Angola is advancing in the fight against AMR by strengthening its health sector, including establishing well-equipped microbiology labs to detect, monitor, and report AMR more accurately, among other initiatives.
Lutucuta stressed the importance of international cooperation, particularly with organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), to share information, identify best practices, and mobilize resources to align global strategies with local needs.
Furthermore, Angola is working to increase its health sector budget to align with the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, approved in 2015.
Lutucuta reaffirmed Angola’s support for United Nations General Assembly resolutions aimed at accelerating a coordinated global response to the AMR crisis, protecting the health of current and future generations.
She also voiced support for the G77 and China’s declaration, calling for urgent implementation of integrated, multisectoral approaches aligned with the “One Health” framework and enhanced cooperation to tackle the crisis.
