Fleming Fund Country Grant: Papua New Guinea

Burnet Institute is leading the implementation of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Country Grant component of the Fleming Fund, a £500 million UK Aid program helping to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries.

Objective

Background

AMR is an issue of global concern: if current trends continue, health economists estimate that worldwide by 2050 AMR could result in up to 10 million deaths each year and USD100 trillion lost in economic activity.

As drug resistant bacteria can spread freely around the environment, responses to AMR must involve multiple sectors.Our project brings together a unique collaboration of experts in animal and human health, microbiology and surveillance, information technology and construction, all to support PNG’s domestic responses to address AMR.

Our PNG project aims to: 

• strengthen One Health approaches to information sharing
• strengthen antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial consumption (AMC) surveillance and monitoring systems in the human health sector
• strengthen antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance and monitoring systems in the animal health sector. 

Timeline

2020–2025.

Approach

Our project’s key activities included:

• strengthening national and subnational AMR governance structures including the establishment of active working groups across key sectors in PNG
• workforce development such as training laboratory personnel in biosafety and laboratory management
• enhancing animal health and human health laboratory infrastructure to support surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for AMR.

The Fleming Fund PNG project is establishing bacteriology diagnostics in laboratories throughout the country benefiting patients admitted to provincial hospitals in the Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Morobe and East New Britain provinces, as well as the National Capital District.

This laboratory strengthening has already assisted PNG with their COVID-19 responses.

The project embraces a One Health approach. The combination of human and animal AMR surveillance will allow PNG to better understand the extent of AMR across the country and develop strategies to address AMR.