LAHORE: The United Kingdom’s (UK) Fleming Fund has decided to provide financial assistance and new equipment to the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development’s (PL&DD) laboratories, Pakistan Today learnt on Wednesday.
According to details, the teams of Fleming Fund, which is a research and aid agency, met with Provincial Livestock Minister Sardar Hasnain Bahadur Dreshak and Livestock Secretary Capt (r) Saqib Zafar separately.
During the meetings, Fleming Fund Country Director Dr Ayesha Rashid, while briefing about the activities of the organisation in Pakistan, said that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging challenge and it is very important to fight this at the national level.
She said that her organisation has been supporting the Pakistan government in the field of health and livestock since 2019, when joint research was initiated with the National Veterinary Laboratory, Poultry Research Institute and Provincial Diagnostic Laboratory.
The Livestock secretary appreciated the surveillance carried out by the British agency in the first phase of the investigation against AMR.
However, the provincial minister said that research is of special importance in the development and promotion of livestock sector and the government is making serious efforts to finance it.
The minister thanked the Fleming Fund for funding infrastructure during research, welcomed the efforts of the organisation and reiterated the commitment of the PL&DD for full cooperation.
PL&DD Director Communications Asif Rafique said, “The Fleming Fund is an aid programme by UK’s Department of Health and Social Care that seeks to gather and share AMR data. The organisation has been working in the health and livestock sector of Pakistan since 2019. It has identified two laboratories of the PL&DD for providing new equipment and financial assistance. There will be no cost to us on this whole project and the Fund will bear all the expenses itself.”
