13 Aug : There are reports in National and International media about the emergence of new antibiotic resistant mechanism with interpretation linking its spread possibly from India. In this regard, the Director General of Indian Council for Medical Research Dr. V.M. Katoch has indicated that “Several ‘Superbugs’ are surviving in nature and they have been reported from countries like Greece, Israel and many others and it is unfair to link the ‘Superbug’ to India.”
According to the clarification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, it is known that plasmids are present in gram negative bacteria, they can be transmitted among bacteria and they may also encode for resistance for many drugs. This is a phenomenon which occurs in nature – in the environment, may be intestines of humans and animals universally. There might be billions of such happenings at any moment. While such organisms may be circulating more commonly in the world due to international travel but to link this with the safety of surgery hospitals in India and citing isolated examples to show that due to presence of such organism in Indian environment, India is not a safe place to visit is misleading. The Government of India has strongly refuted the naming of this enzyme as New Delhi metallo beta lactamase & also refute the reports that hospitals in India are not safe for treatment including medical tourism.
The official spokesman of the Union Ministry of Tourism stated “India is fast emerging as a global medical health care destination because of its world class medical facilities which are manned by highly qualified doctors and paramedics. Almost all Indian Hospitals servicing Medical Tourists are accredited either by Joint Commission International (JCI) or National Board for Accreditation of Hospitals and Heath Care and follow International safety standards. India remains a safe and preferred medical tourism destination.”
