tuberculosis - The Times Of Central Asia

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Healthcare UNDP tuberculosis GIZ Osh Interregional Reference Laboratory Renovation

UNDP and GIZ Renovate Osh Laboratory to Strengthen Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Southern Kyrgyzstan

On April 7, the National Center for Phthisiology and the Osh Region Tuberculosis Center, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), inaugurated a renovated building of the Osh Interregional Reference Laboratory in southern Kyrgyzstan. UNDP, in partnership with GIZ, carried out a full-scale renovation, upgraded staff capacities, and certified diagnostic equipment. The modernization enables the facility to enhance tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics and improve treatment effectiveness, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported. Accurate and timely diagnosis is essential for effective TB treatment. In this context, UNDP supports the Kyrgyz government's efforts to expand diagnostic capacity, improve treatment outcomes, and reduce the national TB burden, advancing the goal of a TB-free Kyrgyzstan. Until 2019, Kyrgyzstan operated two reference laboratories equipped with advanced TB diagnostic technologies. The National Reference Laboratory oversaw supervision, mentoring, and quality control across the country, with a focus on drug susceptibility testing in northern regions. Meanwhile, the Osh facility served the southern regions of Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken. Despite having modern equipment, the laboratory was housed in a deteriorating building that compromised diagnostic quality. Operations were scaled down in 2019 due to poor conditions and resumed only after the facility’s renovation in December 2024. The lab now provides full diagnostic services for Osh city and the Osh and Batken regions. U.S. Support Bolsters National TB Response Kyrgyzstan has made substantial progress in TB detection and treatment in recent years, with strong backing from the U.S. government. Since 2019, the United States has invested over $20 million in TB-related programs through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Declining TB Incidence and Mortality According to Abdullaat Kadyrov, Director of the National Phthisiology Center, Kyrgyzstan has seen a sustained decline in tuberculosis incidence and mortality over the past 15-20 years. In 2001, the country recorded 168 TB cases per 100,000 people and a mortality rate of 27 per 100,000. By 2024, this had fallen to 56.3 per 100,000, with mortality dropping to 2.6 per 100,000.

WHO Healthcare tuberculosis Initiative

Central Asia Launches Joint Initiative to Eliminate Tuberculosis by 2030

All five Central Asian nations have launched a regional campaign titled “Central Asia Free of Tuberculosis” with the ambitious goal of eliminating tuberculosis (TB), including drug-resistant strains, across the region by 2030, according to Turkmenportal. The initiative is led by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and supported by international health organizations. Health ministers and senior officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened in Astana to formally launch the campaign and sign a joint declaration. The agreement outlines commitments to work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Stop TB Partnership, the Global Fund, civil society organizations, and other partners. Over the past decade, the five countries have made significant strides in combating TB through the introduction of new treatments and improved disease surveillance systems. The new initiative aims to accelerate these efforts toward total eradication. Key Objectives of the Initiative Include: Testing Coverage: Ensure that at least 95% of all new and recurrent TB cases are diagnosed using rapid WHO-recommended diagnostic tools, which are already in place across the region. Treatment Expansion: Broaden access to shorter, injection-free treatments for drug-resistant TB, which have demonstrated success rates of over 85%. Vaccine Preparedness: Prepare national health systems for the rollout of new TB vaccines once they become available. Primary Healthcare Integration: Incorporate TB diagnosis and treatment into each country’s primary healthcare system, with support from WHO’s Primary Health Care Centre in Almaty. WHO Regional Director Dr. Hans Kluge commended the political leadership demonstrated by the Central Asian governments. He emphasized that the region is now closer than ever to achieving TB elimination but must sustain its commitment through continued investments and stigma-reduction efforts to ensure equitable access to care. The regional strategy is expected to yield significant results by 2027 and will serve as a framework for monitoring and accelerating progress toward TB elimination in Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan Healthcare USAID tuberculosis

U.S. Helps Decrease Tuberculosis Mortality Rates in Kyrgyzstan

U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Liz Zentos and Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Health Alymkadyr Beishenaliev, attended a national conference on 17 April to review the Cure Tuberculosis partnership. Since 2019, the U.S. government has invested more than $20 million in curing tuberculosis in Kyrgyzstan through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). To date, the joint U.S.-Kyrgyz initiative has provided faster and more accurate tuberculosis diagnosis, improved treatment success rates, and increased community awareness and engagement in efforts to control tuberculosis, resulting in a decrease of tuberculosis mortality rates by over 33% and a reduction of cases by 37%. Praising the project’s success, Ms Zentos announced, “It is a collaborative effort that helped modernize tuberculosis diagnostics, improve patient-centred care, and reform the policy environment to improve tuberculosis treatment for all.” In turn, Minister Beishenaliev expressed gratitude to USAID for its ongoing aid, saying, “The Ministry of Health together with partners will continue to fight tuberculosis in Kyrgyzstan, develop a patient-centred model of tuberculosis care, support outpatient treatment in primary health care, introduce new diagnostic and treatment methods, develop and integrate tuberculosis information systems, and strengthen cooperation in tuberculosis prevention and care.”