LocationsTimely and effective diagnosis – key to success in the fight against Tuberculosis
October 26, 2022
UNDP has been collaborating with the government of Tajikistan since 1994 aiming to improving health and wellbeing of Tajik population. Since January 2021 UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the population of Tajikistan, is implementing the consolidated HIV, TB and Covid -19 grant of the Global Fund with total funding of $ 31 mln. UNDP’s ‘Strengthening Supportive Environment and Scaling Up Prevention, Treatment and Care to Reduce the Burden of HIV and TB in the Republic of Tajikistan’ project focuses on prevention, treatment, social support to key population groups, removing stigma, gender, and legal barriers for improving access to HIV and TB related services to key affected populations as well as better integration of TB and HIV services in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan, among many other countries in the world, committed to the Political Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018 at the High-Level Meeting on the Fight Against Tuberculosis aiming to increased diagnosing and treatment of TB. One of the strategies, deployed for this is systematic screening for TB disease.
On October 24, 2022 the official ceremony of transfer of modern equipment for diagnosis of TB to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the population of Tajikistan was held at the Republican TB Control Center in Dushanbe. The current delivery of equipment consists of 10 sets of portable digital X-ray machines empowered with artificial intelligence - computer-aided TB detection software. This equipment will enable the National TB services to increase timely detection of TB countrywide, ensuring early initiation of the treatment and breaking transmission chain. The equipment is best suited for finding additional people in need of diagnostic testing because mobility of the equipment allows for a large number of people to be screened. Furthermore, its roving nature reduces access barriers for the target population. Community-based screening efforts have the potential to identify people very early in their disease course and to substantially increase TB detection rates.
