Alliance is implementing a special screening program has been launched on the basis of civil society partners, which has detected 1,400 new TB cases among the most vulnerable populations with limited access to health care.
During 2015-2017 years 9 300 MDR-TB patients were enrolled to treatment in Ukraine within the program supported by Alliance with the Global Fund funding, and all of them were receiving medications and social care from Alliance. Besides, Alliance addresses TB epidemic in the challenging operating environment, it provided 2nd line TB drugs to temporarily non-controlled territories in the East of Ukraine with 700 MDR TB courses, as well as consumables for TB laboratories for rapid diagnosis of TB.
Alliance implemented a unique nationwide approach aimed at supporting the patient’s adherence to treatment, enabling us to almost double the success rate up to 79%, which even exceeds the WHO target for the countries of the European region. This is a really impressive result, as the average treatment success level of such patients in Ukraine is less than 40%.
During 2015-17 Alliance supported several great changes on the policy agenda.
Alliance helped to boost TB response at the cities level: for the first time several cities of Eastern Europe and Central Asia joined Zero TB Cities initiative – Odesa (Ukraine) and Bălți (Moldova), developing TB city plans, increasing municipal funding for TB, applying results based financing with strong support from STOP TB Partnership.
Being a civil society focal point of the Global TB Caucus – organizations working with the global movement of parliamentarians, Alliance supported establishing the Parliament Platform to Fight Tuberculosis, which now unites nearly 50 Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, ensuring policy changes and funding allocation.
Jointly with other partners we prioritized transition of the MDR-TB treatment program to the governmental funding. For the past 3 years, Alliance procured 50% of MDR-TB drugs, and it is our target to ensure continuation of treatment with quality medicines and treatment success rate.
Starting from 2018 all MDR-TB treatment procurement is shifted under governmental responsibility. Due to consolidated efforts procurement of TB drugs with domestic funds will allow to provide continuous treatment in full of all identified patients both with susceptible TB and MDR-TB. Moreover, according to the plan in 2018 – 90% with XDR-TB will be covered by domestic funds. The remaining 10% will be procured by Alliance within the Global Fund funding (133 schemes with delamanid). Alliance continuously applying efforts together with other partners for making up-to-date treatment available – with bedaquiline and delamanid.
Great progress is made within TB-REP regional project implemented under leadership of PAS Center with the European Coalition Against Tuberculosis (TBEC) providing support in transition to outpatient, people-centered TB care models in 11 post-Soviet countries.
2018 is crucial for fighting TB. In particular, there is an expectation that the UN High-level Meeting on TB in September this year will lead to elevating TB on higher political agenda. Alliance team member represented at the TB HLM Affected Communities and Civil Society Advisory Panel. It will be essential that civil society perspective will be reflected in the political declaration, and fulfilment of the global commitments will be closely monitored.
We are grateful to our collaboration with civil society, community, professional and governmental organizations, all partners and donors. Together we stop TB!