National TB Expert Committee

Extra support for conducting quarterly coordination meetings for key technical working groups (TWGs) such as TB case finding, treatment monitoring of drug sensitive (DS) and drug resistant (DR) TB, childhood TB diagnosis, and is needed in the country to bridge the funding gaps. The support is crucial to enhance quarterly performance reviews and quality monitoring of key indicators for key outcomes of these focus areas as outlined in the 2021-2025 NSP (Ministry of Health and Child Care, 2021). Key targets for this TCG responds to the End TB Strategy of WHO (2015) which emphasizes the need to monitor progress and impact of TB programmes through formation of expert committees to monitor TB incidence and mortality, and other performance targets. Of note, the expert committee may assign specific tasks to sub-action groups or TWGs. This TCG seeks to revive the existing TB Expert Committee that will play an advisory role on three sub action groups namely, TB case finding, treatment monitoring of drug sensitive (DS) and drug resistant (DR) TB, and childhood TB diagnosis in the NTP. Specifically, this TCG seeks to revive the TB expert committee which will in turn lead to active sub-action groups or TWGs on three specific areas aforementioned.