Jakarta, ThedailyID — Indonesia’s Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) has reported that nearly 80 percent of antibiotic use in the country occurs without a doctor’s prescription. The agency warns that improper antibiotic consumption could accelerate antimicrobial resistance.
BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar said the figure was based on monitoring data collected between 2022 and 2025.
“Based on data collected by BPOM from 2022 through 2025, the use of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription is close to 80 percent,” Taruna said, as reported by detikHealth.
A separate nationwide inspection found that 63.75 percent of pharmacies had supplied antibiotics without prescriptions. The findings highlight the need for stronger public education alongside stricter monitoring.
Antibiotics are not ordinary over-the-counter medicines that people can purchase and consume freely. Doctors prescribe them to prevent and treat certain bacterial infections. However, inappropriate use can contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
AMR occurs when microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, no longer respond effectively to medicines designed to treat them.
As a result, infections can become difficult or even impossible to treat. This condition also increases the risk of disease transmission, severe illness, disability, and death.
Although people may not immediately experience the consequences of improper antibiotic use, BPOM warns that the long-term threat is serious.
“However, that threat becomes very real when we, our children, or our parents are lying in a hospital bed and even the best antibiotics can no longer cure them,” Taruna said, as quoted on BPOM’s official website.
The agency therefore emphasizes the importance of using antibiotics responsibly and following medical prescriptions to help prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
