WHO EMRO - STOP TUBERCULOSIS PROGRAMME

Islamabad (8 April). While emphasizing the need to sustain political and public commitment to tuberculosis (TB) control and scaling up multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in her talk with the media, Anna Cataldi, the global Stop TB Ambassador ended her five-day tour of Pakistan. During her stay in Islamabad and Karachi, Anna met the Minister of Health, TB and MDR-TB patients, workers and the development community to stress the need to do more on a disease, which is both preventable and curable.

Arriving in Islamabad, Anna went to the offices of the national TB programme and commended its team for its hard work in a complex security environment. She conveyed the same to the Minister of Health Makhdoon Shahbudin, who was joined by the Secretary and Director General of Health of the country.

In Karachi on 6 April, Anna co-chaired a board meeting of the revived National Stop TB Partnership Pakistan with Professor Masood Hameed Khan. She was particularly encouraged by innovative activities reported by partners on World TB Day. Later, she visited Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, founded in 1942, as a TB sanitarium and which now serves as a diagnosis and treatment facility for MDR-TB patients. Visiting different facilities of the Institute, she also met with patients. Privately-run Indus Hospital, a MDR-TB services facility, was another stop for Anna in Karachi where she was touched by the commitment of staff and the quality of care services. She also visited the first ever purpose-built building for the treatment of TB and MDR-TB within the Indus premises.

Back in Islamabad, Anna was joined by the head of MacDonald’s operations in Pakistan to announce winners of the TB programme and MacDonald’s joint awareness campaign on TB among youth. The event was held at one of MacDonalds’s outlets and was attended by youth and the media. She also paid a visit to the national headquarters of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society to meet its head and officials of the International Federation of the Red Cross to discuss initiation of collaboration between the TB programme and the Red Cross. The Red Cross runs a network of more than 170 health facilities and two tertiary hospitals, Anna’s meeting paved the way for Red Cross involvement in TB care services.

Pakistan ranks 8^th among 22 high-burden of TB countries of the world and is also listed among the 27 MDR-TB high-burden countries. With a large and diverse population, the country needs to sustain public and political support to provide quality TB care to millions affected and those at risk of infection because of poverty, insecure environments and resource constraints. The visit of Anna Cataldi not only brought TB back to the attention of the media but also facilitated access of the TB programme to the highest levels of decision-making.

Ramadan fundraising campaign for tuberculosis-affected patients and families
September 2009


	Chair of the National Stop TB Partnership, Afghanistan, Professor Obaidullha Obaid, and parliamentarian’s representative, Miss Sharifa Zarmati Wardak, speaking on behalf of the campaign

Kabul, Afghanistan (12 September, 2009) The Stop TB Partnership, Afghanistan, is collecting zakat and donations for tuberculosis-affected patients and families in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In response to a call from the Eastern Mediterranean Partnership to Stop TB and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Stop TB Partnership is running a fundraising campaign for tuberculosis patients and their families. Ramadan as the holy month is considered a good time to conduct fundraising efforts for poor and deserving Muslims throughout the world. The campaign has received an overwhelming response from all sections of society and funds and kind support are being generated by the campaign.

After endorsement by the Coordinating Board of the Partnership, the WHO-based Secretariat, in collaboration with the national tuberculosis control programme, WHO country office in Kabul and partner nongovernmental organizations designed a campaign comprising different activities in order to mobilize local charities and collect donations throughout the month. The Coordinating Board started with its own contribution to the collection and then raised people’s awareness of the campaign.

A seminar was also organized in Kabul Medical University and was attended by the Deputy Minister of Public Health and other eminent figures from social, development, political and media sectors. A subnational partnership in Herat also organized a similar event and is collecting funds.

The National Stop TB Partnership and the subnational partnership of Herat has so far collected US$ 11 000 in cash and commodities worth US$ 1000 mainly through collecting money during Ramadan iftars (dinners). In addition, one of the private television channels offered free air time for a value of up to US$ 5000. Although substantially more funds are needed, it is encouraging to feel the enthusiasm among nationals who are contributing to a common cause. The partnerships in Afghanistan will continue fundraising and are expected to raise US$ 300 000 or the equivalent in support by the time of World TB Day 2010. The funds and resources collected will be distributed to tuberculosis patients and their families in Afghanistan.

The Stop TB Partnership in Afghanistan was launched in 2008 and represents a coalition of social, development, political and media representatives committed to fighting tuberculosis in the country. Housed by the WHO country office in Kabul, the National Partnership’s activities are being funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The subnational partnership in Herat is being supported by the Italian Government. The National Partnership’s work is being gradually expanded to subnational partnerships; after setting up a similar structure in Herat province, efforts are now being made to develop local partnerships in Kandahar and other provinces.

The Partnership very successfully mobilized more than 1.2 million schoolchildren on the eve of World TB Day 2009 to take part in the Million Youth March. This was the largest contribution in terms of participation of any of the 22 countries in the Region, which collectively mobilized 1.8 million youth to take part in the march.

Viewing TB as a serious “public health and development” problem in Afghanistan, National TB Program (NTP) of Ministry of Public Health and partners (BRAC, JICA, GFATM, GMS, USAID, WFP, and WHO) carried out a joint TB review exercise from 11 to 16 November 2006. The main agenda was how to scale up TB care in Afghanistan.

The mission visited 6 provinces (Badakhshan, Ghazni, Hirat, Jalalabad, Kabul, and Mazar-e-Sherif) and was very pleased to observe good TB control practice, dramatic improvement of DOTS and good start in collaboration with BPHS partners. Key components of DOTS such as diagnosis, direct observation of treatment, drug management, and recording and reporting are in place, and treatment success rate is above 85 %. Anti-TB drugs are available in the health facilities with no drug shortage for the last 12 months.

Agreement between Afghanistan and World Food Programme

In Afghanistan, an agreement between the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the distribution of commodities supplied by WFP to TB patients that under go DOTS and regular TB treatment has been signed.An estimated 27 400 TB patients will be supported in 2003. Considering distribution of a family ration based on an average family size of 6, it is expected that some 164 400 beneficiaries will receive food support.
view agreement