On Friday, February 20, 2015, United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan Pamela L. Spratlen and Minister of Health Dr. Anvar Alimov participated in the launch conference of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) new Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program. The launch ceremony was held at Radisson Blu Hotel Tashkent and was attended by officials from the Uzbek Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, as well as other health officials.
The fight against tuberculosis is one of the Government of Uzbekistan’s priority areas, as demonstrated by its new five-year National TB Strategic Plan.
The 5-year USAID TB Control Program is a key part of U.S. Government assistance for improving tuberculosis-related services in Uzbekistan. The USAID TB Control Program will provide technical assistance to improve vulnerable groups’ access to diagnosis and treatment and will provide high quality laboratory diagnosis and patient-centered approaches to treatment in Khorezm, Bukhara, Navoi and Kashkadarya regions of Uzbekistan.
The USAID TB Control Program covers a wide range of technical areas, including managing TB patients in line with international standards, strengthening the health system’s human and institutional capacity, improving interagency coordination and cooperation, and increasing the use of electronic databases. The USAID TB Control Program will work to raise TB awareness among women as well as migrants, ex-prisoners, and other vulnerable groups.
The USAID TB Control Program will be implemented in close collaboration with the Republican Specialized Scientific Research Medical Center of Phthisiology and Pulmonology, Republican DOTS Center, Institute of Health and Medical Statistic, and Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan. The total budget of the program for Uzbekistan is $7,673,419.
“Tuberculosis knows no boundaries or borders, making it a global health challenge that must be addressed with immediate and aggressive action,” said the U.S. Ambassador Pamela L. Spratlen.
USAID supports the Government of Uzbekistan’s efforts to reduce the burden of tuberculosis.
Since 1993, USAID has provided more than $356 million in assistance to Uzbekistan.
For more information about the U.S. Agency for International Development, visit our Web site at http://www.usaid.gov/.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for over 50 years.
