The Covid-19 pandemic affected significantly the implementation of the NCM Nordic-Russian Cooperation Programme on AMR
The Covid-19 pandemic affected significantly the implementation of the NCM Nordic-Russian Cooperation Programme on AMR. All events and activities planned for spring 2020 were either aborted or suspended.
One reason for the pause was that practically all countries went into total lockdown and international travel was suspended, and the other reason was that the key experts and target groups of the Programme are connected with infectious diseases, laboratory services, monitoring and surveillance of infectious diseases, and they were immediately transferred to Covid-19 response teams.
Back in early April 2020, the Programme’s partners were advised by the Programme’s administrator about the halt of the activities, and it was agreed to resume the Programme as soon as the situation allows.
Study of attitudes, practices and behaviors towards AB persisted through the Covid-19 pandemic
The only ongoing activity, which persisted through the Covid-19 pandemic, was study of attitudes, practices and behaviors towards AB use among primary care doctors, pharmacists and patients in the Northwest Russia, which had already been in the data analysis phase.
In August 2020, a video-conference was organized between the administrator of the Programme – THL Institute – and Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat. The both sides were updated about the current situation in the Programme. Besides, the both sides underlined the importance of continuing Nordic-Russian cooperation on antimicrobial resistance because the problem of AB resistance in the Covid-19 context risks worsening, and there is an increased need in exchange of expertise between Nordic Countries and Russia, in capacity building and awareness-raising.
Prolongation was granted to the Programme
Therefore, the NCM Secretariat proposed to prolong the ongoing Programme till 30 April 2021 with no extra money to be allocated. The proposal was positively greeted by the administrator of the Programme, and a respective request was sent to the NCM Secretariat, and a no-cost prolongation was granted to the Programme.
More on the subject
The project website: Nordic-Russian Cooperation on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Containment
Contact information
Dmitry Titkov
Project manager
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
tel. +358 29 524 7051
[email protected]
