"If there is one message from today, it is, business as usual won't do," concluded a UNICEF representative, in the final session of the PartnersForum.
During the course of this session entitled ‘new partnerships', numerousexamples were presented of the various agencies and partnerships that havethat have helped in the fight against TB. In Bangladesh, for example,where 95% of the population is now covered by DOTS and treatment successis now at 84%, NGOs and private sector businesses have played a huge rolein DOTS expansion.
Mr Fazlur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inBangladesh, described how both international NGOs such as the DamienFoundation, national NGOs such as the Bangladesh Rural AdvancementCommittee and private businesses such as Finlay Tea Estate were running TBclinics and ensuring access to DOTS in over 200 upazilas or sub districtsof the country. He stressed the role of these NGOs in reaching overcrowdedand hard to access populations. He also described collaboration with theWorld Food Program, which provided an additional food component totreatment programs to help reduce drop out rates.
In Vietnam, there has been a rapid expansion in the number and variety ofpartners involved in TB control in the country. At the start of DOTSimplementation there were two Dutch NGOs providing assistance, but nowincluded are many partners - for example, WHO; CDC; the World Bank; thegovernment of the Netherlands and various ‘Peoples Committees' and‘Peasants Unions'- at the local level. Each of these different types ofpartners have strengths and weaknesses however, and in the context ofNGOs he raised the issues of financial capacity, no mandate of voters andsustainability as potential weaknesses. The Vice Minister of Health statedthat the continuation of the TB control activities would require anextension of the World Bank's financial assistance, which is set to lastuntil 2003. Meanwhile, they are currently seeking to forge newpartnerships with the HIV/AIDS programme, the private sector, universitiesand other governmental sectors and would greatly welcome new partners anddonors.
In an attempt to engage civil society in the fight against TB theinitiative PHILCAT, the Philippine Coalition Against TB, was set up in1994. It now serves to help coordinate the activities of some 50organisations from NGOs to pharmaceutical companies and religious groups. Italso works in close collaboration with the government and is constantlyencouraging new partners. Finding new partners outside the health sectorwas not found to be a problem; in fact the organisation has been approachedby many within the private sector. The main constraint being faced was theorganisations own financial and human resource capacity to provide theprojects and plans for these new partners.
A representative from UNICEF, Dr Yves Bergevin, described how there wasneed for more advocacy, social mobilisation and marketing of TB programs,especially at the local level. "We need to report back to civil society onour success" as this would encourage further involvement since successbreeds success. Drawing from lessons learnt from Polio programs and theGlobal AIDS Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), he asserted that there needs to benational ownership of the programs, with Ministers of Finance and Planningincluded in discussions and strong multi-year plans. National interagencycoordinating committees, such as PHILCAT, are extremely important in theirroles as secretariats for advocacy and can take a lead in coordination andmobilising support. In order to have success, a demand for TB servicesneeds to be created and health-seeking behavior fostered. This can beachieved through the engagement of the community, NGOs, schools andhouseholds. At the same time, in order to have social mobilisation, it isimportant to have a ‘marketing plan' for TB programs, which could use forexample, corporate sponsors, television and radio slots, celebrities andservice clubs such as Rotary to help spread the word and raise the levelof TB awareness and knowledge amongst the population. Dr Paul Sommerfeldfrom TB Alert, informed us of, how in the UK, the Rotary club had starteda TB campaign and distributed 100s of 1000s of leaflets up and down thecountry in a number of languages.
The messages from the partnership sessions were consistent. There are manyexamples of the ways in which progress in TB control has come aboutthrough partnerships; the broadening of concerned stakeholders towider representation of the population at large, and the promotion andcoordination of new partnerships are key to success.
The feeling of many participants was that the First Partners Forum meetingrepresented an opportunity for widening the range of partners andtheir level of commitment. In response to being asked the most importantthing about the First Partners meeting, Sir John Crofton replied..."theenormous amount of support from top international people and bodies andvery powerful and influential politicians"...the other remarkable achievementhas been to get these partners together. Talking about the subject of aglobal partnership against TB he stated; "This conference, I think, is anoutstanding jump forward in working out and co-ordinating how this isdone. This has built up the climate of opinion globally and this has had amajor ripple effect on individual countries and politicians." He added thatit has also helped in the shift away from TB "being the business of asmall devoted elite."
Mr Sello Moloto from the Northern Province, South Africa paid tribute toimportance of such forums in bringing back the attention to TB... "Wethought we had TB under control, but with the advance of HIV in thecountry, we need to rethink our strategy. Today has made me realise theextent of the problem of TB and that TB should be given as equal apriority as HIV."
In the closing session Dr Lee, Director of the STOP TB global partnership,said "Here we stand, together, some 200 strong, having just taken the nextsteps. We are well under way on our journey to realise the goals endorsed18 months ago in Amsterdam and to make progress towards the 2005 targetsof 70% TB detection and 85% cure. The results of this meeting will alsomove us closer to our long-term vision of a world free of TB as a publichealth problem. Visions require nuts-and-bolts actions and consistentfollow-through. That is what we have been doing."
Source
STOP-TB Forum
Discussion archives are available: click here for archives [1]
The project description is available at: Health & Development Networks [2] or the Stop TB Partnership [3]
This forum is managed and moderated by Health & Development Networks [4]
with technical support from Health Systems Trust [5]
Contact:
Louise Berry, HDN Key Correspondent
correspondents@hdnet.org [6]
"If there is one message from today, it is, business as usual won't do," concluded a UNICEF representative, in the final session of the PartnersForum.
During the course of this session entitled ‘new partnerships', numerousexamples were presented of the various agencies and partnerships that havethat have helped in the fight against TB. In Bangladesh, for example,where 95% of the population is now covered by DOTS and treatment successis now at 84%, NGOs and private sector businesses have played a huge rolein DOTS expansion.
Mr Fazlur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inBangladesh, described how both international NGOs such as the DamienFoundation, national NGOs such as the Bangladesh Rural AdvancementCommittee and private businesses such as Finlay Tea Estate were running TBclinics and ensuring access to DOTS in over 200 upazilas or sub districtsof the country. He stressed the role of these NGOs in reaching overcrowdedand hard to access populations. He also described collaboration with theWorld Food Program, which provided an additional food component totreatment programs to help reduce drop out rates.
In Vietnam, there has been a rapid expansion in the number and variety ofpartners involved in TB control in the country. At the start of DOTSimplementation there were two Dutch NGOs providing assistance, but nowincluded are many partners - for example, WHO; CDC; the World Bank; thegovernment of the Netherlands and various ‘Peoples Committees' and‘Peasants Unions'- at the local level. Each of these different types ofpartners have strengths and weaknesses however, and in the context ofNGOs he raised the issues of financial capacity, no mandate of voters andsustainability as potential weaknesses. The Vice Minister of Health statedthat the continuation of the TB control activities would require anextension of the World Bank's financial assistance, which is set to lastuntil 2003. Meanwhile, they are currently seeking to forge newpartnerships with the HIV/AIDS programme, the private sector, universitiesand other governmental sectors and would greatly welcome new partners anddonors.
In an attempt to engage civil society in the fight against TB theinitiative PHILCAT, the Philippine Coalition Against TB, was set up in1994. It now serves to help coordinate the activities of some 50organisations from NGOs to pharmaceutical companies and religious groups. Italso works in close collaboration with the government and is constantlyencouraging new partners. Finding new partners outside the health sectorwas not found to be a problem; in fact the organisation has been approachedby many within the private sector. The main constraint being faced was theorganisations own financial and human resource capacity to provide theprojects and plans for these new partners.
A representative from UNICEF, Dr Yves Bergevin, described how there wasneed for more advocacy, social mobilisation and marketing of TB programs,especially at the local level. "We need to report back to civil society onour success" as this would encourage further involvement since successbreeds success. Drawing from lessons learnt from Polio programs and theGlobal AIDS Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), he asserted that there needs to benational ownership of the programs, with Ministers of Finance and Planningincluded in discussions and strong multi-year plans. National interagencycoordinating committees, such as PHILCAT, are extremely important in theirroles as secretariats for advocacy and can take a lead in coordination andmobilising support. In order to have success, a demand for TB servicesneeds to be created and health-seeking behavior fostered. This can beachieved through the engagement of the community, NGOs, schools andhouseholds. At the same time, in order to have social mobilisation, it isimportant to have a ‘marketing plan' for TB programs, which could use forexample, corporate sponsors, television and radio slots, celebrities andservice clubs such as Rotary to help spread the word and raise the levelof TB awareness and knowledge amongst the population. Dr Paul Sommerfeldfrom TB Alert, informed us of, how in the UK, the Rotary club had starteda TB campaign and distributed 100s of 1000s of leaflets up and down thecountry in a number of languages.
The messages from the partnership sessions were consistent. There are manyexamples of the ways in which progress in TB control has come aboutthrough partnerships; the broadening of concerned stakeholders towider representation of the population at large, and the promotion andcoordination of new partnerships are key to success.
The feeling of many participants was that the First Partners Forum meetingrepresented an opportunity for widening the range of partners andtheir level of commitment. In response to being asked the most importantthing about the First Partners meeting, Sir John Crofton replied..."theenormous amount of support from top international people and bodies andvery powerful and influential politicians"...the other remarkable achievementhas been to get these partners together. Talking about the subject of aglobal partnership against TB he stated; "This conference, I think, is anoutstanding jump forward in working out and co-ordinating how this isdone. This has built up the climate of opinion globally and this has had amajor ripple effect on individual countries and politicians." He added thatit has also helped in the shift away from TB "being the business of asmall devoted elite."
Mr Sello Moloto from the Northern Province, South Africa paid tribute toimportance of such forums in bringing back the attention to TB... "Wethought we had TB under control, but with the advance of HIV in thecountry, we need to rethink our strategy. Today has made me realise theextent of the problem of TB and that TB should be given as equal apriority as HIV."
In the closing session Dr Lee, Director of the STOP TB global partnership,said "Here we stand, together, some 200 strong, having just taken the nextsteps. We are well under way on our journey to realise the goals endorsed18 months ago in Amsterdam and to make progress towards the 2005 targetsof 70% TB detection and 85% cure. The results of this meeting will alsomove us closer to our long-term vision of a world free of TB as a publichealth problem. Visions require nuts-and-bolts actions and consistentfollow-through. That is what we have been doing."
Source
STOP-TB Forum
Discussion archives are available: click here for archives
The project description is available at: Health & Development Networks or the Stop TB Partnership
This forum is managed and moderated by Health & Development Networks
with technical support from Health Systems Trust
Contact:
Louise Berry, HDN Key Correspondent
correspondents@hdnet.org