USAID launches new tuberculosis control program in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE (TCA) — The United States Ambassador to Tajikistan Susan Elliott and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Wednesday launched the USAID Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program, a new regional program to improve diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.
The new program is an extension of TB control activities
initiated under past USAID projects such as TB CARE I, Quality
Health Care Project and the Dialogue on HIV and TB Project.
While
joint collaboration between USAID, the Tajik government and
other partners to combat TB has resulted in stabilization of TB
over the past five years, the latest Global TB Report confirms
an alarming increase in rates of multidrug-resistant TB in all
five Central Asian countries.
This five-year USAID TB
Control Program aims to reduce the burden of TB and the
development of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Tajikistan.
The
program will focus on improving access to diagnosis and
treatment for vulnerable groups, supporting a patient-centered
system of care, and strengthening laboratories and other parts
of the health system in Sughd and Khatlon provinces and the
Rasht Valley, including policy development at the national
level.
Ambassador Elliott pointed out the great
progress made by USAID and the Tajik government to tackle TB,
but acknowledged that the fight is not over.
The
program is implemented by a consortium of partners, led by
Project HOPE and including the Royal Netherlands Association for
Tuberculosis Control (KNCV), the International Organization for
Migration, and AIDS Foundation East-West.
The USAID
TB Control Program, with anticipated budget of $13.2 million
over five years, is another example of U.S. government
assistance to improve the health of Tajik citizens.
USAID
grant assistance to Tajikistan now averages $30 million a year,
approximately 30 percent of which is directed to healthcare.
Source:
The Times of Central Asia
