Project HOPE Executive Vice President Chris Skopec made his first visit to Tajikistan on January 30 – February 4, 2017 to meet Project HOPE country office staff and engage with a wide range of government and civil society leaders to learn about interventions implemented to address tuberculosis (TB) control in this Central Asian country.
Project HOPE has been providing humanitarian and technical assistance to Tajikistan since 1996 through delivery of crucial medications and medical supplies valued at over $300 million and, since 2001, through implementation of interventions to halt the spread of tuberculosis (TB).
For nearly two decades, Project HOPE, in partnership with Tajikistan’s National TB Control Program; USAID; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; civil society organizations; local government authorities; and communities, has been implementing targeted and effective TB control interventions to make quality TB detection, treatment, and care more accessible for all.
According to Nasrullo Ramazonov, ACSM Specialist, USAID TB Control Program, these efforts have brought cure and support to 17,000 patients representing over 80% of all registered TB cases in Tajikistan.
During his visit, Mr. Skopec reportedly met with the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan (MOH), National TB Program NTP), the Embassy of the United States of America to Tajikistan, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), civil society, and other stakeholders. In addition, Mr. Skopec visited several project sites where Project HOPE is implementing its TB control efforts.
Chris Skopec visited Machiton National TB Hospital in Vahdat where Project HOPE, through its USAID-funded TB Control Program, has assisted NTP in the establishment of the Center of Excellence, which serves as a hub for training and institutionalization of innovative TB detection and treatment approaches consistent with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. At Machiton, Mr. Skopec observed one of such innovative approaches — online distance training and counseling of physicians and medical staff located in Tajikistan's provinces and remote areas on TB case management and patient and peer support. He also traveled to Tajikistan’s Danghara District where he met with the leadership of the district government authority, TB doctors, patients, and members of community health committees, which were established with Project HOPE’s assistance to provide support of TB patients in the communities.
While in Tajikistan, Chris Skopec also met with civil society organizations and current and former TB patients in Qurghon Teppa in the Khatlon Province, where Project HOPE is engaged in TB control under a Global Fund New Funding Model grant. Under this project, Project HOPE provides support in rolling out rapid molecular diagnostic technologies and in implementation of patient-centered, community-based approaches to TB care with a special focus on vulnerable and at-risk populations. There, he met with the staff of a regional TB center, patients, and representatives of the local authority and civil society organizations.
