Abuse of antibiotics drops in Chinese hospitals

A national campaign against the abuse of antibiotics looks to be progressing with usage notably dropping, said the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.

An inspection over more than 430 major hospitals nationwide showed that the prescription of antibiotics accounted for 15 percent of the total prescriptions in hospitals in 2011, down from 27.8 percent in 2006, said Wang Yu, a senior official with the ministry.

The country launched the campaign last April to curb the prevailing abuse of antibiotics, which is believed to increase resistance and have a negative impact on people's health.

The inspection showed that the usage and frequency of the prescription of antibiotics dropped notably after the campaign, Wang said.

Antibiotics were applied in about 58 percent of surgeries involving open wounds in 2011, down from 99 percent in 2006, and were applied on less than 30 percent of hospitalized patients, down from 51.5 percent, he said.

In addition, a new regulation on the medical application of antibiotics will take effect on August 1, which upgrades the management on the purchase and applications of antibiotics in hospitals and interference in abuse.