USAID Facilitates Inter-Agency Coordination of TB Control among Tajikistan’s Ministries

Project HOPE is a USAID partner contracted to implement the five-year USAID TB Control Program in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to reduce the burden of tuberculosis and prevent multidrug-resistant forms of the disease through effective and accessible TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment for all, including vulnerable populations.

Through its TB Control Program, USAID brought together key representatives from the Tajikistan Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (the National TB Program), Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Committee on National Security, the National Guard, and other stakeholders to a Round Table meeting. The aim of this unprecedented meeting was to finalize and prepare for execution a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on immediate actions necessary for addressing TB burden among the armed forces and prison populations.

The MOU is a crucial instrument for inter-agency collaboration aiming to reduce the burden of TB and its drug resistant forms. Further, the MOU coordinates efforts between Tajikistan’s law-enforcement agencies and the National TB Program to provide the military and inmates with access to TB diagnostics and treatment, ensuring the continuum of TB care.

USAID has initiated the effort for execution of the first ever MOU on TB Control in Tajikistan as part of its five-year TB Control Program that supports the National Strategic Plan to Protect the Population from TB in the Republic of Tajikistan for the period of 2015 – 2020. Once finalized, the MOU will be executed by all relevant public health and law enforcement agencies to initiate the inter-agency coordination of TB response efforts.

USAID supports the Tajikistan Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population in implementing the National TB Program by providing more effective and accessible TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for all, including vulnerable populations. The main objective of the five-year, $13.2 million USAID TB Control Program is to reduce the burden of tuberculosis and prevent multidrug-resistant forms of the disease. The program covers a wide range of technical areas, including strengthening the health system’s human and institutional capacity, expanding interagency coordination and cooperation, and improving timely access to TB diagnosis and treatment.