On the instructions of Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Serhiy Dubrov visited the United States of America to participate in high-level events at the 79th UN General Assembly.

On September 25, the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York hosted an event dedicated to promoting solidarity among countries to combat antimicrobial resistance in the WHO European Region and beyond. The meeting was opened by the Minister for Health Care of Sweden Acko Ankarberg Johansson, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge.

Ministers from the European and Asian regions presented a global plan to overcome antimicrobial resistance and steps to curb its growth.

During his speech, Sergiy Dubrov reported on the measures taken by Ukraine to curb antimicrobial resistance and outlined the key issues of antimicrobial resistance pathogens in the context of war.

“Despite the fact that antibiotic resistance is a global problem, the full-scale war that russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than two and a half years has exacerbated this issue. The war has increased the number of infections related to combat injuries that require antibiotic treatment, and has also interrupted the provision of important medical services, such as vaccination in the frontline and temporarily occupied territories,” said Serhiy Dubrov, First Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine.

In addition, on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, Serhiy Dubrov held a series of bilateral meetings with his colleagues from Armenia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and Australia. The talks focused on a number of issues important for our country: the state and urgent needs of the healthcare system, adaptation of the medical industry to growing needs amid the destruction of healthcare facilities and the country's energy system as a whole, reconstruction of medical facilities, rehabilitation and development of psychological assistance. The parties also talked about consolidating efforts to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance and outlined practical steps to help Ukraine and the possibility of working visits in the near future.

On September 26, a high-level event on antimicrobial resistance was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, during which a political declaration was approved. The document contains commitments to a clear set of goals and actions, including a 10% reduction by 2030 of the 4.95 million human deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance annually.