Public-private mix: a practical approach to lung health in TB conotrol

Abstract

The third and fourth components of the Global Plan to Stop TB, 2011-2015, are to "Strengthen health systems based on primary health care" and "Engage all care providers," an approach to ensure universal access to high quality TB services through the involvement of all public, voluntary, corporate and private providers and the adoption of the "International Standards for Tuberculosis Care (‎ISTC)‎". The plan emphasizes the need to strengthen the health system through an innovative approach such as the Practical Approach to Lung Health (‎PAL)‎, which is based on improving the quality of care of all respiratory patients above five years of age, and focuses on the primary health care level. The specific objectives of the regional workshop on Public and Private Mix/Practical Approach to Lung Health in TB Control were to review the status, challenges and experiences in public-private mix partnership and PAL development in countries of the Region, provide updates on revised technical and programmatic guidelines for publicprivate partnership and PAL under national programmes and review existing national plans in order to include any additional measures required to effectively scale up PPM and PAL in countries. The workshop addressed several important issues including the progress and plans on PPM and PAL in TB control in the WHO South-East Asia Region followed by presentations on concepts of PAL strategy, overview of PAL implementation at the global level, and the key elements and process to adapt, develop and implement PAL at the country level. Some countries in the Region shared their experiences on PAL development and implementation. The workshop deliberated on the global progress on PPM and on the use of the tool kit for PPM expansion plan. The plans on scaling up engagement of private practitioners, NGOs and hospitals in TB care and control were drafted by the countries. This report contains discussions and deliberations made during the workshop along with conclusions and recommendations for supporting the Member States in developing and implementing appropriate management of PAL and PPM according to their country context.