More than 225 general practitioners from Karachi and Islamabad have taken part in CAMO-Net workshops designed to support responsible antibiotic prescribing in primary care.
CAMO-Net Pakistan has delivered two antimicrobial stewardship workshops for community-based general practitioners (GPs), focusing on practical approaches to antibiotic prescribing in primary care.
The workshops were held in Karachi on 28–29 August 2026 and Islamabad on 4–5 September 2026. They formed part of the study, Assessing and improving antimicrobial stewardship practices among general practitioners in major cities of Pakistan: a pre-post intervention study.
The Karachi workshop brought together 105 GPs and was chaired by Dr Izhar M Hussain, CAMO-Net Pakistan Principal Investigator and Executive Director of IBBPS. Dr Muneeba Ahsan Sayeed and Dr Tehreem Ansari led the training sessions.
A further 121 GPs attended the Islamabad workshop at the Health Services Academy. The event was again chaired by Dr Hussain, with Dr Mati-ur-Rehman and Dr Afreenish Amir serving as trainers.
The programme was delivered in collaboration with IQVIA and with support from Wellcome. The sessions were accredited for 2.5 continuing medical education hours.
Moving from evidence to practice
The workshops focused on two conditions frequently encountered in primary care: urinary tract infections (UTIs) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).
Evidence-based sessions drew on antimicrobial stewardship resources from the World Health Organization and the UK. Interactive case studies helped participants apply these principles to situations they encounter in everyday clinical practice.
Particular attention was given to making an accurate diagnosis, deciding whether antibiotics are necessary and selecting the appropriate treatment, dose, timing and duration. Participants also considered when non-antibiotic management may be more appropriate and when targeted antibiotic treatment is clinically indicated.
Understanding barriers in everyday practice
The workshops gave GPs an opportunity to discuss the practical challenges they face when applying antimicrobial stewardship principles in outpatient settings.
Participants highlighted several barriers, including access to antibiotics without a valid prescription, the reuse of previous prescriptions, the promotion of broad-spectrum antibiotics and pressure from patients seeking immediate antibiotic treatment.
These discussions showed that improving antibiotic use will require more than changes to individual prescribing practices. Coordinated action across clinical practice, regulation and public health will also be needed.
Building momentum for stewardship in Pakistan
The participation of 226 GPs across Karachi and Islamabad reflects the growing recognition of antimicrobial stewardship as a priority within Pakistan’s primary-care sector.
Continued training, multidisciplinary collaboration and supportive regulatory measures will be essential to strengthen responsible antibiotic use and contribute to addressing the country’s growing antimicrobial resistance challenge.
