Health officials claim early success after programme helps monitor drugs
Health authorities have claimed initial victory in a battle against the misuse of antibiotics in the city's public hospitals.
But officials warned the problem of superbugs - various disease-causing bacteria that are developing increasing resistance to antibiotics - remained a concern.
Inappropriate use of antibiotics at public hospitals accounted for 8 per cent of the 16,000 cases, as of last October, down from the 17 per cent in November 2005.
Ho Pak-leung, chairman of the Centre for Health Protection's programme on antibiotics resistance, said he was pleased with the improvement.
'The 8 per cent level is already an acceptable level. In many cases, doctors may want to use strong antibiotics to treat a critically ill patient when he is admitted to hospital,' Professor Ho said.
He attributed it to the success of a HK$10 million programme co-organised by the Hospital Authority and the centre last year, to monitor the use of antibiotics in 16 public hospitals. Under the antibiotic stewardship programme, doctors who prescribe any of eight kinds of so-called broad-spectrum antibiotics are asked to complete a form giving their reasons.