Global Meeting of the Working Group on PPM for TB Prevention and Care
Kenya in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO) – Global Tuberculosis (TB) Program is co-hosting Global Meeting of the Working Group on Public-Private Mix (PPM) for TB Prevention.
Dr Andrew Mulwa, Ag. Director of Medical Services, Preventive and Promotive Health officially opened the meeting on the 2nd of November at Trademark hotel, Nairobi. The meeting brings together national TB program managers, policymakers, representatives from the private sector and affected communities, civil society, academia, field experts, international technical partners and development agencies to share experiences and discuss strategies to accelerate public-private sector engagement efforts.
Globally, there has been notable progress in the fight against TB with 54 million lives saved since 2000. The burden of TB disease and death due to TB remains enormous. In 2020, up to 3 million of the estimated 10 million people with TB worldwide were “missed” by national TB programs. Two-thirds of them are thought to access TB treatment from public and private providers who are not engaged by the National TB Program.
Engaging all relevant healthcare providers in TB prevention and care through PPM approaches is an essential component of WHO’s End TB Strategy. The emphasis is the building of strong linkages with all healthcare providers.
The goal of the working group meeting is to create a venue for learning and knowledge exchange in order to increase private sector involvement in TB control. The meeting is also a platform for participating countries to share and learn about best practices in private sector involvement in TB management. In addition, the achievements in private sector involvement in TB control, important new insights, and knowledge gaps will be showcased.
The private facilities engaged in PPM and visited today by the delegates include Rhodes Chest Clinic, Nyumbani Diagnostics, Mater, Coptic and St Mary’s Hospitals
