Thiruvananthapuram: The health department has issued a directive urging the state's government hospitals, private hospitals, pharmacies and medical stores to give antibiotics only in blue coloured covers. Colour coding will help the patients easily recognise antibiotics from other drugs. A similar directive was issued last year too, as part of a campaign to reduce the misuse of antibiotics. Health Minister Veena George stated that there has been a 30 per cent drop in antibiotic usage in the state, henceforth.

Colour coding would be implemented in all hospitals within three months to make the state ‘Antibiotic Smart’. Local government institutions should publish guidelines to spread antibiotic awareness. These institutions, too, would be colour-coded based on their initiatives.

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Meanwhile, the licenses of 450 stores that sold antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription have been suspended, and the licences of five stores have been cancelled. The department has also recommended Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) screenings to check the presence of antibiotics in milk, meat, and fish. The health minister also urged various establishments to reduce the quantity of antibiotics added to cattle and poultry feed.

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