In 2021 in Indonesia, an estimated 36 500 deaths were attributable to bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and 147 000 deaths were associated with it, as once-routine infections become harder to cure. Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a particular danger in hospitals, where they spread among vulnerable patients and further narrow down treatment options.
On 26–28 August 2026 in Bandung, the Ministry of Health (MOH), with World Health Organization (WHO) support, ran a three-day training of trainers on MDRO outbreak preparedness and response. Multidisciplinary teams from seven referral hospitals consisting of clinicians, microbiologists, pharmacists, infection prevention and control (IPC) staff, and managers worked through a simulated hospital outbreak alongside a national MOH team, using the WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific guidance “Responding to outbreaks of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in health-care facilities: guidance for the Western Pacific Region”. Participants learned the key steps of responding to an AMR outbreak: confirming the outbreak, identifying and tracking cases, investigating how it is spreading, and taking action to stop further infections. They also reviewed the use of IPC measures and appropriate antibiotic use (stewardship). Each hospital left with a practical outbreak response plan and priority actions.
Detecting an antimicrobial-resistant organism in the laboratory is only the start. Laboratory and surveillance information must rapidly trigger coordinated action among clinicians, microbiologists, IPC and antimicrobial stewardship teams; hospital management; and public health authorities. By adapting the regional guidance to Indonesia's context and practising these roles together, hospitals can detect threats earlier, interrupt transmission and contain outbreaks before they spread. This helps keep medicines effective and reduce the risks of severe illness and death from AMR.
To sustain this progress, WHO is supporting the Ministry to adapt the regional guidance into Indonesia’s AMR outbreak guideline and monitor how action plans are implemented in participating hospitals, further strengthening their capacity to manage future outbreaks.
This activity was supported by WHO Indonesia and WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific.
Written by Nora Nindi Arista, National Professional Officer (AMR), WHO Indonesia