The casual way antibiotics are being consumed in India today could turn into a serious health disaster tomorrow. This stark warning comes from AIIMS Director Dr. M. Srinivas, who has cautioned that taking antibiotics without medical advice is not just irresponsible, but potentially life-threatening in the long run.

Speaking on the growing misuse of antibiotics, Dr. Srinivas said the trend has become deeply worrying. “People pop antibiotics for something as minor as a cold, cough or mild fever,” he said, adding that in most such cases, these medicines are simply not required. “This habit must stop immediately.”

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mention of the issue in his Mann Ki Baat address, Dr. Srinivas said when the country’s leadership raises such a concern, it signals how serious the threat has become. Repeated and unnecessary use of antibiotics, he explained, allows bacteria to grow stronger and smarter, eventually making these drugs ineffective.This phenomenon, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), has emerged as one of the biggest global health challenges. “At that stage, the very medicines that once saved lives stop working,” he warned.

Dr. Srinivas explained that AIIMS has put in place a strict and structured system to regulate antibiotic use. A dedicated committee and a team of experts decide, based on defined standards and standard operating procedures, which patient truly needs antibiotics and which does not. AIIMS, he said, is working as a leadership model for hospitals and medical colleges across the country and is actively training healthcare professionals on the rational use of antibiotics.

But responsibility, he stressed, does not lie with patients alone. Doctors, too, must exercise caution.

“Antibiotics must be prescribed only when necessary, taken at the right dose, at the right time, and for the full prescribed duration,” he said.

Stopping treatment midway or using medicines arbitrarily only accelerates resistance. He also acknowledged that antibiotics are sometimes unnecessarily prescribed even after clean and uncomplicated surgeries—a practice he described as wrong and urgently in need of correction.

The consequences of continuing on this path could be severe. “If this misuse continues, the day is not far when critically ill patients in ICUs will have no effective antibiotics left,” Dr. Srinivas warned. “Our treatment options will become dangerously limited.”

He also underlined a common but dangerous misconception: antibiotics do not work against all infections. While diseases such as pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis are caused by bacteria and may require antibiotics, common colds, viral fevers and many respiratory infections are not bacterial.

Yet, people often self-medicate with antibiotics in these cases, unknowingly killing beneficial bacteria in their bodies. Over time, this misuse allows harmful bacteria to adapt.

They learn how to neutralise the drug, block its action, or survive its effects altogether. Even more concerning, these resistant bacteria can pass on their strength to future generations—or even to other bacteria—making infections harder and harder to treat.

Dr. Srinivas urged the public to act responsibly and resist the temptation to self-medicate. “Never take antibiotics without consulting a doctor, and always follow medical advice honestly,” he said.

“A small mistake today can turn into a major health catastrophe tomorrow.” His message is clear: antibiotics are powerful life-saving tools—but only if used wisely.