Research raises alarm over antibiotic resistance:Up to 80% of common drugs losing effectiveness, experts call for prescription audits

Antibiotics that once cured infections quickly are increasingly failing to work. While irrational use of antibiotics by the public—particularly over-the-counter consumption without medical advice—is often blamed for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), doctors and experts now acknowledge that prescribing practices within the healthcare system are also contributing significantly to the crisis. A Bhaskar investigation found that many doctors continue prescribing the same antibiotics repeatedly over long periods, despite rising resistance levels. As a result, infections that could once be treated for a few hundred rupees now require hospitalization and treatment costing tens of thousands. The concern has become serious enough for the National Medical Commission (NMC) to direct medical colleges to conduct prescription audits. Under the guidelines, hospitals are expected to regularly review doctors’ prescriptions to identify irrational antibiotic use that may be accelerating antimicrobial resistance. A ₹300 illness now costs thousands to treat Case 1: Urinary infection required hospital admission Patient: 32-year-old woman: A urinary tract infection (UTI) that earlier responded to medicines costing ₹200–300 did not improve because of antimicrobial resistance. The patient eventually required hospital admission and intravenous treatment. Treatment cost: Increased from around ₹15,000 to ₹25,000. Case 2: Post-surgery infection prolonged hospital stay Patient: 45-year-old man: Following surgery, the patient developed an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. Due to AMR, the infection did not respond to routine medicines. Instead of being discharged after five days, the patient remained hospitalized for an additional nine days. Treatment cost: Rose from approximately ₹40,000 to over ₹1.5 lakh. Case 3: Serious ICU patient developed resistant infection Patient: 62-year-old man: The patient was admitted to the ICU with a critical illness and later developed an antibiotic-resistant infection. According to doctors, even powerful reserve antibiotics used as a last line of defence had limited effectiveness, leading to prolonged treatment and escalating costs. Additional ICU expenses: ₹15,000–25,000 per day. MGM study: Antibiotics are becoming ineffective According to Dr. Manish Purohit, Head of Microbiology at MGM Medical College, the department reviewed antibiotic resistance patterns from 19,717 clinical samples between 2025 and 2026. The findings indicate a worrying rise in resistance across several commonly used antibiotics. Key findings A silent pandemic in the making Epidemiology expert Dr. Anshul Mishra described AMR as a “silent pandemic.” “Rising antimicrobial resistance could make bacterial infections, sepsis, sexually transmitted diseases and post-surgical infections increasingly difficult to treat. If the trend continues, many lives could be lost to infections that were once easily curable,” he said. No formal prescription audits yet Bhaskar contacted several government medical colleges to determine whether prescription audits are actually being conducted as required by NMC guidelines. “No committee has been formed” Dr. Navneet Saxena, Dean, Government Medical College, Jabalpur, No committee has been formed for prescription audits so far. No formal auditing exercise has been conducted. We are currently reviewing the matter. “I’m not aware of any committee” Dr. Kavita Singh, Dean, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, I am not aware whether any committee has been constituted for prescription audits. I will have to verify the details before commenting. “We are taking corrective steps” Dr. Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean, MGM Medical College, Indore, said, Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a serious challenge. Irrational use of antibiotics is one of the key reasons behind it. We have initiated corrective measures and are working to improve antibiotic stewardship.