The British government has expanded its partnership with Pakistan to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance in the country and will invest more than £2.7 million to strengthen disease surveillance systems and improve laboratory infrastructure.
British High Commissioner Thomas Drew along with a UK delegation visited the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Thursday with a view to strengthen the capacity building of the institute in tackling the antimicrobial resistance.
The purpose of the visit was to strengthen bilateral relationship and technical support to Pakistan with Fleming Fund for capacity building of NIH Islamabad, which demonstrates high-level policy and exercises to control antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is increasingly a serious global health threat.
"The UK will invest more than £2.7 million in Pakistan to strengthen disease surveillance systems, improve laboratory infrastructure and offer six professional fellowships to senior scientists to build expertise," the British High Commission announced.
The programme is led by the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with Mott MacDonald contracted as the management agent of the fund, and Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) appointed as the lead project partner to deliver most of the investment in Pakistan.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to the drugs "we use to treat them, including antibiotics."
This sometimes leaves us powerless to treat what we often consider to be routine infections. This poses a great threat to both human and animal health. Drug resistant infections cause hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year with the figures expected to rise.
The UK is committed to tackling this important global challenge by working with its partners across the world. The grant to Pakistan will help generate comprehensive data on antimicrobial resistance and will be complemented by six professional fellowships, offering tailored professional development to senior scientists who are engaged in AMR surveillance in Pakistan.
"Today's announcement is another illustration of the UK's commitment to working with Pakistan to help tackle global issues. Growing anti-microbial resistance is killing hundreds of thousands of people across the world each year," Thomas Drew said while commenting on the announcement.
He said that the grant will support the technical development of the health infrastructure in Pakistan, drive innovation, and build greater scientific links between the two countries. "It should lead to the saving of lives," he added.
Briefing media persons along with Ayesha Rasheed, team lead on the Pakistan Fleming Fund grant for DAI Global Health and Jawaad Vohra, International Development Pakistan, Country Grant Representative, and Executive Director of NIH, Major General Aamer lkram said that the government of Pakistan considers AMR containment as a national priority and committed to implementing National Action Plan for AMR which was developed through consultative process with "one health approach."
In Pakistan, an alarming level of antimicrobial resistance has been reported with risk to higher disease burden and the NIH is entitled to establish partnership with UK's Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), which will support the NIH in disease surveillance systems, laboratory infrastructure and skills development fields.
The UK-Pakistan partnership and grant of Fleming Fund will help Pakistan in generation of comprehensive data on antimicrobial resistance and professional development of senior scientists who are engaged in AMR surveillance in Pakistan.
Major General Aamer lkram further highlighted the progress on antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and control in Pakistan, and the steps taken by the NIH in this regard.
He said that the NIH is supporting provincial health departments and other health development partners and providing leadership to address the challenges of AMR in the country, through promoting coordination and adopting 'one health approach' at the highest possible level.
Ayesha Rasheed, team lead on the Pakistan Fleming Fund grant for DAI Global Health, stated that they are working on the Fleming Fund grant with the partners in Pakistan, in both the public and private sector.
"Together, we can strengthen data and information sharing, and develop evidence-based policies that will drive Pakistan's AMR agenda," she added.
Jawaad Vohra, International Development Pakistan, Country Grant Representative for Management Agent, Mott MacDonald, said that they are committed to working in partnership with the government of Pakistan and the UK government to help strengthen Pakistan's health systems and contribute to tackling the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
"With support through our partners, we hope this will eventually support the government of Pakistan to improve its understanding of the AMR problem and to prepare appropriate strategies to tackle it," Vohra added.
Building on existing presence in Pakistan - for example, through Mott MacDonald's work on the Food Fortification Programme and managing an education impact investment fund, Ilm Ideas 2, he said that Mott MacDonald has been working closely with the NIH and other government counterparts since April 2018 to design the Fleming Fund programme for Pakistan.
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