ABU DHABI: Government-issued circulars are being sent to UAE doctors to curb over-prescription of antibiotics to prevent resistance to superbugs and tackle the cost to health insurance systems of antibiotic misuse.
Dr. Amin Hussain Al-Amiri, assistant undersecretary for public policy and licensing at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), said the circulars were part of a raft of measures urging doctors not to issue antibiotics as a first port-of-call.
“The impact of our rules and the circulars will firstly be for the protection of patients themselves,” he said. “But also this will lower health insurance costs because if unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions are avoided then this will minimize the bill which will be forwarded from health care facilities to insurance companies. It will minimize the costs to the UAE because government hospitals provide services free of charge to UAE nationals.”
Dr. Al-Amiri said that the measures will focus on clamping down on doctors who ‘“overdose’” patients by routinely prescribing drugs and pharmacies that issue antibiotics without a prescription.
The steps are in line with World Health Organization (WHO) reports that warn of rising resistance caused by changes that occur in bacteria and render antibiotics less effective.
“First of all, we released many circulars to physicians to not use antibiotics as the first option for the treatment of patients unless — and this is very important — it is absolutely indicated,” Dr. Al-Amiri said. “Once it is indicated there is no issue in prescribing antibiotics.”
This, he said, should mean doctors prescribing the lowest strength of antibiotics unless the patient did not respond to treatment.
“Next, which is very important, we are insisting that all pharmacies avoid issuing antibiotics without prescription which is illegal — this is against the rules and regulations of pharmaceutical law in the Emirates.”
Ministry of Health policy states that antibiotics should not be offered to patients by pharmacists without a doctor’s prescription. New legislation will further prevent pharmacy misconduct relating to antibiotic dispensation without a prescription.
Dr. Yasser Sadawey, internal medicine specialist at Al-Ain’s Medeor 24x7 International Hospital, welcomed the measures — but said it could have a less-than desirable effect on antibiotic sales in the UAE and wider region.
“It will be appreciated by insurance companies and individuals as it will reduce the insurance cost,” he said. “On the other hand, global pharmaceutical companies, which are the sole developers of new antibiotic medications, will have less revenue, which might affect the research programs. We had 65 antibiotics discovered during 1978-1998 and in the past 20 years we had just 15 new antibiotics.”
Dr. Sadawey said misuse was leading to medical practitioners losing their “first-line antibiotics.”
“If we don’t take action now, we may be back in an almost 19th-century environment where infections kill us as a result of routine operations,” he warned. “This is a global issue for governments, the medical profession, the pharmaceutical industry and individuals.”
Dr. Diab Kurdi, head of pharmacy at Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel Hospital, also welcomed the move to reduce antibiotic misuse.
“Doctors in the UAE have been issued with circulars that warn against using antibiotics as the first option for treatment if there is another potential solution,” he said. “If antibiotics are absolutely necessary, it’s recommended that doctors begin with the lowest dose possible. Measures like this are important in the UAE, as they are the world over, to prevent the overuse and potential eventual inefficacy of antibiotics.”
Dr. Kurdi said there was also a responsibility for patients, health care professionals and policy makers to tackle overuse.
“The industry itself needs to invest in research and the development of new antibiotics, vaccines and other tools; individual practitioners/physicians can take greater steps to limit the transmission of infection through cleaning of hands and equipment, and report antibiotic-resistant infections to surveillance teams. Patients must always follow guidelines for use and never share or use leftover antibiotics.”
Talal Bayaa, co-founder of the Dubai medical insurance technology start-up Bayzat, said traditionally insurers have acted as “independently managed control measures” against over-diagnosis and over-prescription of drugs such as antibiotics.
“They’ve done so by ‘rejecting’ cover for specific treatments and medications that are prescribed by medical service providers,” he said. “We as brokers, as well as insurance providers, have seen cases of antibiotic over-prescription for the treatment of conditions that can otherwise be treated by other medications that are significantly more affordable than antibiotics and have less impact on patient’s existing immunity, as well as other systems that may be affected by taking harsh antibiotics when not required.”
Bayaa said: “As it stands, given the volatile nature of how medical service providers prescribe treatments and medication, medical insurance premiums tend to be erratic in nature, and the fluctuation in year-on-year premiums is quite extreme.
“Given a more controlled and regulated prescription/diagnosis environment, we can expect medical insurance premiums to reach increased stability and predictability. However, it would take insurers at least a year to be able to properly assess and predict the levels of risk of claims in the region related to antibiotics.”
UAE tightens use of antibiotics amid superbug fears and rising health insurance costs
UAE tightens use of antibiotics amid superbug fears and rising health insurance costs

Red Cross chief declares Gaza ‘worse than hell on earth’

- Palestinians are being stripped of their human dignity, Mirjana Spoljaric tells BBC
- She calls on world leaders to take action to bring the conflict to an end
LONDON: The situation in Gaza has become “worse than hell on earth,” the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross has said.
“Humanity is failing in Gaza,” Mirjana Spoljaric told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. “We cannot continue to watch what is happening.”
The ICRC, a global organization assisting people affected by conflict, has about 300 staff in Gaza.
It runs a field hospital in Rafah that was swamped with casualties in recent days after witnesses described Israeli troops opening fire on crowds trying to access food aid.
Spoljaric said that the situation in the territory was “surpassing any acceptable legal, moral and humane standard.”
“The fact that we are watching a people being entirely stripped of its human dignity should really shock our collective conscience.”
She called on world leaders to do more to bring the conflict to an end because the consequences would haunt them and “reach their doorsteps.”
Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 54,000 people since October 2023, mostly women and children.
The offensive was launched after a Hamas-led attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and seized dozens of hostages.
Spoljaric said that while every state had a right to defend itself, there could be “no excuse for depriving children from their access to food, health and security.”
She added: “There are rules in the conduct of hostilities that every party to every conflict has to respect.”
International condemnation of Israel has increased in recent weeks after its military pushed to take full control of Gaza after severing all food and aid supplies to the territory’s population.
Late last month, some aid deliveries resumed after Israel set up a new aid system that bypassed the UN and is now run by a newly formed US organization.
Operations at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s three aid delivery sites were paused on Wednesday after dozens of Palestinians were killed by gunfire near one of the sites.
Israeli settlers establish illegal outpost near Palestinian Authority’s administrative city of Ramallah

- Settlers establish site on ruins of displaced Palestinian family’s home
- Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported in May attempts by settlers to establish 15 new illegal outposts in West Bank
LONDON: Israeli settlers have established a new outpost on land belonging to Palestinians east of Ramallah, the administrative city of the Palestinian Authority.
The settlers have established the outpost on the ruins of a home belonging to a Palestinian family that was forcibly displaced nearly a year ago following a series of attacks in the village of Al-Taybeh, the Palestine News Agency reported.
Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and have long been viewed as hindrances to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and to achieving peace.
The PA’s affiliated Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported in May on attempts by Israeli settlers to establish 15 new illegal outposts in the West Bank, mainly on agricultural and pastoral land.
These outposts are distributed across several governorates, including six in Ramallah and Al-Bireh; two in Salfit, Tubas, and Bethlehem; and one each in Jericho and Nablus.
Israel defense ministry says arms exports hit all time high in 2024

- “Israel again reached an all-time peak in defense exports in 2024,” the ministry said
JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense ministry said Wednesday that its arms exports hit an all-time high of more than $14.7 billion in 2024, with a sharp rise in deals with Arab Gulf states, despite international criticism of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
“Israel again reached an all-time peak in defense exports in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive record-breaking year in the scope of defense agreements,” the ministry, which oversees and approves the exports of Israel’s defense industries, said in a statement.
Suspected crypto kidnappings mastermind arrested in Morocco

- France thanks Morocco for arresting 24-year-old after kidnappings targeting French crypto entrepreneurs
PARIS: France’s justice minister on Wednesday said that Morocco had arrested a man suspected of ordering a series of kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs in France.
“I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly in the fight against organized crime,” Gerald Darmanin said on X.
Turkiye’s AJet to start flights to Syria’s Damascus

- AJet said flights from Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16
- Flights to Damascus from Ankara will start from Jun. 17
ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.
AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16. Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added.
Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from Jun. 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.
Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.
Turkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country’s reconstruction. Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria’s airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.