Hosts GSPARC Stakeholders Meeting

“Is There a Future for Antibiotics? Can We Halt Pandemics? Are Infections Unstoppable? Why HAIs and AMR are more profound and devastating in regions with resource limitations? What tailored policies, practices and interventions can be deployed to safeguard the Global South where majority population inhabits?

These are some of the questions to be addressed during forthcoming “Global South Conference on Infection Prevention Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship (G-SPARC 2024) which is scheduled to take place from the 3rd to the 5th of October, 2024, in Hyderabad, India.

G-SPARC Steps Up to the Challenge!”

The Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO), in collaboration with the Infection Control Academy of India (IFCAI) and the University of Hyderabad (UOH), is taking a bold step forward to address the pressing issues of Infection Prevention & Control (IPC), Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs), and Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR).

The Global South Conference on Infection Prevention Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship (GSPARC) is scheduled to take place from the 3rd to the 5th of October, 2024, in Hyderabad, India.

A Collaborative Effort

An announcement is made by more than 40 global, local, academic, professional associations who came together to address global public health challenges related to infections. The stakeholder consultative meeting was Chaired by Sri R Govind Hari, Chairman of PRASHO, Prof Ranga Reddy Burri, Chairman of G-SPARC 2024 & President IFCAI, and Prof Shamanna from UOH, the GSPARC Stakeholders meeting was held on the 19th of April at the PRASHO Foundation office, located in the WTC Shamshabad & Genome Valley Interim office building in Hyderabad.

Taking a leaf from the policy initiatives during G20 presidency of India to “strengthening global health and implementing one health approach” and the Delhi declaration which pledged to “Implement and prioritise tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) following the One Health approach, including through research and development, infection prevention and control, as well as antimicrobial stewardship efforts within respective national action plans through AMR and antimicrobial consumption surveillance” the G-SPARC stakeholders have taken the responsibility and resolved to support the respective Global South countries in this initaive.  

GSPARC-2024 aims to be a collaborative effort between healthcare providers, health administrators, government organizations, patrons, strategic partners/professional associations, academic support organizations, government/multi-lateral organizations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and industrial partners.

A Global South Consensus

The conference is targeted to bring in a Global South consensus on key topics such as IPC, AMR, HAIs, etc., across all these countries. One size doesn’t fit all likewise the policy frame works, guidelines, interventions, practices tailored for resource rich may not fit the resource poor and hence customization and localization of them is a top priority to address these public health priorities with sustaiable outcomes.  

Global Participation

Representatives from all major global and national bodies such as IMA, CAHO, OXFORD Brookes University, AHPI, US CDC, WHO, FABA, NABH, QAI, HBI, TSHA, SSSIHL, PRASHO, IFCAI, DSPRUD, SaS, and many reputed medical institutions/universities have attended the stakeholders meeting.

Participants from over 4 continents and over 50 countries are expected to take part in the event, including Asia, Africa, GCC, South America.

Addressing the Challenges with a theme to “Unify Global South to fight infections and stop pandemics”

The challenges of antibiotic usage, lack of clear data on infection control practices in the Global South, creating a consensus on dealing with AMR, HAIs, IPC in a customized approach are going to be a few of the many topics that are going to be discussed in the G-SPARC-2024 conference.

All partners have declared unanimous support for the initiative to tackle key challenges across India and the entire Global South.

Stay tuned for further updates on this groundbreaking initiative.