The initiative of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to introduce fully equipped Mobile Veterinary Hospitals and Mobile Veterinary Laboratories for livestock farmers is highly commendable and deserves appreciation at the national level.

For those of us who have spent decades working in the veterinary and livestock sector, this initiative has a very special significance. This was a dream we had been pursuing for decades—a dream of taking modern veterinary treatment, diagnostic facilities and laboratory services directly to the doorstep of livestock farmers. Today, that dream has finally come true in Punjab.

The inauguration of the Mobile Veterinary Fleet is therefore not merely another government development project. It represents a revolutionary shift in the delivery of veterinary services in Pakistan. Instead of expecting farmers, particularly those in remote rural areas, to bring their sick animals to veterinary hospitals, the veterinary hospital, the veterinarian and the laboratory are now being taken to the farmer.
This is exactly the direction in which a modern veterinary service should move.

The inclusion of Mobile Veterinary Laboratories makes the initiative even more significant. Veterinary treatment without proper diagnosis can often become a matter of guesswork. A mobile laboratory can collect samples at the farmer’s doorstep, conduct diagnostic tests on the spot and provide the veterinarian with evidence-based information for timely and appropriate treatment.

According to the briefing, the mobile veterinary laboratory will be capable of conducting approximately 40 different tests at the point of service. This is a major advancement in field veterinary medicine. Early and accurate diagnosis can prevent disease from spreading within herds and can substantially reduce mortality and economic losses.

The availability of ultrasound and X-ray facilities through mobile veterinary units is another highly welcome feature. These technologies can improve pregnancy diagnosis, reproductive management, detection of internal and skeletal problems and diagnosis of a wide range of diseases and conditions.

Equally important is the role these mobile units can play in livestock disease screening, surveillance and early warning. A modern veterinary system cannot be limited to treating animals after they become sick. It must also identify diseases early, monitor their geographical distribution, detect outbreaks and generate reliable field data for preventive action.

In this regard, mobile veterinary laboratories can become the eyes and ears of a modern livestock disease surveillance system.
The proposed expansion of 30 additional Mobile Veterinary Dispensaries and 17 Mobile Veterinary Laboratories is therefore a highly positive development. Similarly, the deployment of 6,964 mobile motorcycle units with veterinary assistants can bring veterinary services much closer to livestock farmers across Punjab.

The reported treatment of approximately 3.4 million animals by 1,000 interns under the Chief Minister’s Internship Programme also demonstrates the enormous demand for veterinary services at the grassroots level.

The government’s focus on breeding is equally important. The artificial insemination of 800,000 animals can contribute to genetic improvement and increased milk and meat production. However, breeding programmes should always be integrated with proper nutrition, disease control, animal identification, genetic selection and professional veterinary supervision.

The proposed Model Veterinary Hospitals are another important component of this modernisation programme. The planned provision of cattle crushes, mechanical crushes, horse crushes, modern operation theatres, hydraulic operating tables and advanced surgical lighting can significantly improve the quality of clinical veterinary services.

The fundamental philosophy behind all these initiatives is extremely important: veterinary services should reach the farmer—not the farmer alone be expected to reach the veterinary hospital. And with the introduction of mobile diagnostic laboratories, this principle becomes even more powerful: diagnosis and treatment should reach the farmer together.
This is the kind of modern, accessible and farmer-oriented veterinary service that Pakistan’s livestock sector has needed for decades.

However, the real success of this initiative will depend on its sustainability and professional management. Mobile hospitals and laboratories must be supported by qualified veterinary doctors, trained laboratory personnel and para-veterinary staff, adequate medicines, vaccines, diagnostic kits, laboratory supplies, cold-chain facilities, fuel and regular maintenance.

Most importantly, the information generated by mobile laboratories should be systematically recorded and integrated into a provincial and ultimately a national livestock disease surveillance and early-warning system. If this is achieved, the mobile laboratory network could become much more than a diagnostic service—it could become a powerful national disease intelligence network.
The significance of this initiative should not, however, remain confined to Punjab.

I strongly believe that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan must follow the Punjab model and establish modern Mobile Veterinary Hospitals, Mobile Veterinary Laboratories and doorstep veterinary services according to their own geographical and livestock requirements.

This is particularly important for the vast, remote and difficult-to-access areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where conventional veterinary infrastructure alone cannot adequately serve widely dispersed livestock populations.

Pakistan has an enormous livestock resource, and millions of rural families depend directly or indirectly upon it. The health and productivity of livestock are therefore not merely veterinary concerns. They are directly linked with food security, rural livelihoods, milk and meat production, poverty reduction, employment and the national economy.
Investment in veterinary hospitals, mobile veterinary services and diagnostic laboratories is consequently an investment in the economic future of Pakistan.

The initiative of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif deserves sincere appreciation. It is a bold and visionary move that has the potential to transform veterinary service delivery in Punjab.
For professionals like us who have advocated modern veterinary services for many years, this is an especially gratifying moment. What we had dreamed of for decades has finally come true.
Punjab has turned that dream into reality.

Now the challenge—and the opportunity—is to take this vision beyond Punjab. Let the other provinces learn from this model, improve upon it and replicate it according to their own needs.
Punjab has shown the way. Let the whole of Pakistan follow.

If properly implemented, professionally managed and linked with an effective disease surveillance system, this initiative can mark the beginning of a new era—and a genuine revolution—in veterinary services throughout Pakistan.
Highly appreciated, wholeheartedly welcomed and strongly recommended for replication across the country.

Dr Alamdar Hussain Malik
Advisor Academics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat.
Former Financial Adviser, Finance Division, Government of Pakistan