Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, November 18, 2024 – In response to a request from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, USAID and the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted an in-depth evaluation of the country’s National Tuberculosis Program (NTP). The review, completed in October, focused on areas crucial to TB control, such as surveillance, prevention, treatment, and care, as well as multisectoral collaboration and civil society engagement.
This assessment, part of the WHO-USAID joint project “Accelerating Efforts to End TB in Turkmenistan,” will inform the development of Turkmenistan’s next National Strategic Plan for TB control (2026-2030). Key activities included site visits to TB treatment facilities in Ashgabat, Ahal, and Mary velayats, as well as assessments of the new “Tuberculosis Recording and Reporting System” (TB-RRIS) to enhance TB data tracking.
WHO specialists conducted reviews in stages, examining both drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases, and evaluated primary health care’s role in TB control. Dr. Askar Yedilbayev, WHO Regional Advisor on TB, praised Turkmenistan’s efforts, noting that the findings will help guide strategic TB prevention and share best practices across the WHO European Region.
The WHO-USAID report will provide actionable recommendations to the Ministry of Health and partners, strengthening Turkmenistan’s ability to combat TB and foster health improvements across the region.
The mission also included an overview of the Primary Health Care (PHC) involvement in TB control and visits to the hospitals in Ashgabat and multidisciplinary hospitals in Gokdepe etrap of Akhal velayat.
The findings from these missions will be compiled into a comprehensive report, which will be shared with the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and relevant stakeholders to support ongoing efforts in TB control and prevention.
In partnership with the Government of Turkmenistan and the WHO, USAID’s “Accelerating Efforts to Reduce TB and DR-TB in Turkmenistan” project strengthens national TB control by advancing prevention, detection, and treatment, particularly for drug-resistant TB. This initiative expands rapid diagnostics and WHO-led community TB services, supporting Turkmenistan’s National Tuberculosis Program and aligning with the USAID Global TB Strategy 2023-2030 to improve public health outcomes across the country.
USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit the USAID/Central Asia website at https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and the USAID/Central Asia Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia
