ALT Dr Muratbek Muhambetov: “I have worked in the hospital for more than 28 years after receiving a qualification in surgery and the Excellence in Healthcare award of the Kyrgyz Republic. Over the years, I have witnessed challenges with inappropriate use of antibiotics and increasing trends of AMR, which is very worrying for a surgeon. Because of this, I am enthusiastic to champion SAP (surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis) and have advocated for updated SAP guidelines to be implemented in hospital settings. It is also important to remember that SAP guidelines require regular updates, because wound infections change their resistance patterns over time. Regular monitoring is also vital. I also strongly advocate for having proper infection prevention and control measures, in which we all have a role to play. I hope I am doing my fair share in this and encourage others to do the same in the fight against AMR.”