New strategies of improving the TB control in Romania
July 15th 2008
The tuberculosis issue continues to represent a major preoccupation of the pneumophtiziology in Romania. What would be the reason of this preoccupation? The incidence of the disease in our country that in the past years registered a slow decrease but it still maintains over the average in the Western Europe.
The more active implication of the community and the strengthening of the public-private partnership, these are the success key in the control of tuberculosis. In order to succeed this grievance, there is for sure a need of clear communication strategies, social mobilization, advocacy (Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilization - ACCM) to the authorities, sensitize the community on the social problems the tuberculosis patients' face.
If the physicians can ensure the medical treatment that leads in most cases to complete cure of the TB patients, how about the social, family, professional integration of these people? Who and how can get involved? What strategies can and shall be used in this respect?
To most of these questions tried to answer the workshop organized in Baia Mare, during July 2nd -4th, by the National School of Public Health and Sanitary Management (NSPHSM).
The whitepapers of this workshop had been opened in the presence of the Prefect of Maramures County, Ms. Bondi Gyongyike, the General Director of the Maramaures Public Health Directorate, dr. Alexandru Ilies and the project's local coordinator, dr. Madalina Dragos, this being a proof of the importance the local authorities start to allot to the tuberculosis issue.
At the training sessions carried out for 3 days for more than 30 physicians, nurses, communitarian assistants, social assistants, sanitary mediators, teachers, media representatives. All of them are somehow involved in way or another in the TB control programs carried out in the county and region.
The purpose of the training session "TB can be cured!" is to have a contribution to the mentality change of the community on TB and to stop and fight the discrimination of the patients who suffer of this disease.
This first workshop is part of a more complex and big project implemented by NSPHSM in partnership with local authorities and National Program of Tuberculosis Control.Financed by the Global Fund under the 6th Round, one of the objectives of the project named "Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization" (ACSM), aims to mobilize and involve the local resources in improving the TB control in Romania.
