The conference gathered representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, USAID, the National Research Institute of TB and Pulmonology, the Republican DOTS Center, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the World Health Organization, and other Uzbek as well as international organizations working on tuberculosis prevention.

This US$4 million program assisted the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan in implementing the National Tuberculosis Control Program from 2004 to 2009. The program trained health providers and decision-makers (managers at the rayon and oblast level), and helped local specialists monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their work. The USAID-funded program helped national specialists develop the academic curricula on TB, standards for a laboratory network, as well as recommendations on external quality control, monitoring, and drug management related to TB.

More than 4,000 health care providers were trained on DOTS strategy, management of TB control, supervision, TB and HIV co-infection, multi-drug resistant TB, drug management, and counseling of TB patients.

The USAID-funded program also worked to increase TB awareness among healthcare providers and population. The program trained more than 150 journalists and 200 makhalla leaders to provide information about TB to general population. With their support, the program educated more than 35,000 people on TB symptoms and the importance of timely medical care. Additionally, a series of TV and radio programs and public service announcements on TB issues were broadcast on 22 regional TV channels and numerous radio stations and reached more than 22 million of the country’s residents.

The USAID-funded TB Control Program was implemented by Project HOPE in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Republican DOTS Center, National TB Research Institute of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and other local and international partners. The program is one of the many that were made possible by the American people through USAID. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a US Government agency that provides development assistance to over 100 countries around the world. Since 1993, USAID has been assisting Uzbekistan to further agriculture and other sectors of the country’s economy and improve healthcare system.

Project HOPE is an international health foundation “People-To-People” established in 1958 with over 50 years conducting training programs in a health sphere. Its head office is located in Virginia, USA.