KARACHI:Sindh Minister for Health department Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho Monday presided over a meeting to review the arrangements regarding making Sindh province self-sufficient in developing the anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccines.

The meeting was also attended by the Sindh Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Abdul Bari Pitafi, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Qasim Soomro, Secretary Health Zulfikar Shah, Director General Livestock Sindh Dr. Nazir Kalhoro and others relevant officers.

It was briefed by the concerned officers in the meeting that Sindh has the adequate resources to develop its anti-venom (snake bite) and anti-rabies vaccines while the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Science, Sakrand, the Sindh Institute of Animal Health, Karachi, and the Dow University Laboratory will jointly work on planning the preparation of anti-snake venom and dog bite vaccines keeping in view of the available and required resources. Gambat Institute of Health Science would also be taken on board in the process of preparation of the vaccines.

On this occasion, Pechuho said that Sindh province would be capable and self-sufficient to produce its own vaccines while the dependency on other countries would also be ended after the development of snake and dog bite vaccines.

Pitafi said that after the development of anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccines, these vaccines would be made available in the hospitals of the Sindh province but also to provide for the entire country. Meanwhile, it was also agreed upon in the meeting that the data of such cases would be compiled with the consultation of tertiary /university based hospitals regarding the development of the vaccines.