Caption: Health offcials at the review of TB plan.
The National Tuberculosis (TB) Strategic Plan 2015-2019 is under review by the Ministry of Health as part of plans to strengthen prevention and control.
The review which will be taken in partnership with World Health Organisation representatives aims on new policy directions and carrying out major activities of TB within the given fund.
The Ministry of Social Welfare permanent secretary Dr Josefa Koroivueta highlighted at a forum today that TB has become one of the most seriously neglected and underestimated health, human rights and poverty related challenges.
“Under the Global Fund, we hope to significantly reduce the burden of TB to 20 per 100,000 case by 2014. This can be done through improved high quality doctors right across Fiji with increased case detection, increase case ratification rate, high treatment excess and to empower people and community with the capacity to control TB,” Dr Koroivueta said.
The Global Fund in 2010, provided $20 million funding to Fiji Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in combating TB for the next five years.
Global Fund is the world’s largest financier of anti-AIDS, TB and malaria programs. It is a financing mechanism with implementation done by CCM.
Dr Koroivueta spoke at the Workshop on the Fiji National TB Strategic Plan 2015-2019 and highlighted that as of last year, TB’s case detection rate continues to grow.
“No one can deny that TB is re-emerging in many regions of the world and the next millennium gives us strength to go for health and wellbeing in particular to the relationship in synergy with HIV AIDs and closer to regional NCD crisis.”
The National TB Control Officer, Dr Sakiusa Mainawalala said there is a slight increase in TB cases with 220 cases for 2013, 218 in 2011 and 213 in 2010.
The Global Fund will be ending its funding next year and a new funding model of the global fund will be implemented. This will form the basis of the next step of TB strategic plan 2015-2019 for the Pacific and taking control of TB at country level for Fiji.
MINFO