Strengthening the Tuberculosis control in Romania through implementation of the WHO END Tuberculosis Strategy 2016-2020

About this project

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Tuberculosis is a top killer worldwide, ranking alongside HIV/AIDS, and places its heaviest burden on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Romania reported 10,404 new tuberculosis (TB) cases and 2637 retreatment cases, in 2017, having the highest TB incidence in the European Union/European Economic Area region. </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">The goal of the project is to strengthen tuberculosis</span></span>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">control in Romania through the implementation of the WHO END Tuberculosis Strategy. &nbsp;The project contributes to the prevention and control of tuberculosis, aiming to improve access to health care for patients with tuberculosis, to strengthen primary care health services by purchasing laboratory equipment and training psychosocial staff,&nbsp;and participate in health care system development and information by specific activities such as awareness campaigns, training in advocacy, communication and social mobilization, health rights literacy programs promotion and health communication training. The main project results are: decreasing to 4% the Tuberculosis mortality rate (per 100,000 population), 15300 persons tested for tuberculosis, 600 multi-drugs resistant tuberculosis patients receiving adequate treatment.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">The project will be implemented in partnership with a Norwegian entity (LHL International Tuberculosis Foundation). The role of the donor project partner is to enable the professionals and NGO activists to work with decision-makers at all levels to identify and overcome barriers to funding and providing tuberculosis&nbsp;prevention and care services, including universal access for health education and provision of services by NGOs. The Norwegian partner&nbsp;added value resides in its experience and capacity to ensure tuberculosis control in the population and the ability in the field of advocacy, information, and communication, a valuable experience clearly made to have a&nbsp;input in the framework of all the other activities of the project. </span></span></p>

Bilateral cooperation results

There was a permanent correspondence with the partner LHL International Tuberculosis Foundation regarding the development of the project activities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collaboration with the Norwegian partner took place in the best conditions. Constant online meetings were organized between the project manager and the coordinator from the partner to discuss the progress of the activities, financial forecasts and the necessary documents for reporting. The partner also had direct online meetings with the experts involved in the development of the WP5 activity and they constantly maintained contact for the organization of the activities and monitoring their progress.

Project partners

• LHL Tuberculosis Foundation, Norway Donor project partner· Norway