MDR-TB

ABSTRACT Aidspan is taking a deeper look at the Global Fund’s different innovative financing instruments over a series of three articles, following the Global Fund’s opening of a formal consultation process earlier this year to develop a more structured approach to innovative finance within the organization. This third article describes innovation and cost-reduction incentive mechanisms and discusses the pros and cons of instruments, such as challenge funds, advance market commitments and seed funding.

ABSTRACT With a high tuberculosis burden and in the world’s ‘top five’ for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, Ukraine is urgently seeking ways to improve its low treatment success rates. In a Global Fund HIV/TB grant, one implementer, the Alliance for Public Health, is finding success by combining psychosocial support with traditional treatment approaches.

ABSTRACT When it reviewed Pakistan’s recent TB funding request, the Technical Review Panel requested more information on how the needs of key populations such as refugees and people in congregate settings would be addressed. This issue was cleared during grant-making. This article provides a summary of the comments of the TRP and the Grant Approvals Committee on the funding request.

ABSTRACT In its audit of Global Fund grants to Ukraine, the Office of the Inspector General handed the country a mixed report card. It said that implementation arrangements, as well as procurement and supply chain management, were “partially effective,” the second highest ranking in the OIG’s rating scheme. However, it added, the effectiveness of program processes and controls needs significant improvement. The OIG also observed that Ukraine is scheduled to start transferring responsibility for key programs from NGOs to the government in the absence of a detailed transition plan.

ABSTRACT When the Technical Review Panel assessed Ethiopia’s recent TB/HIV funding request, it raised concerns about the sustainability of national programs and about gaps in services for key populations. This article summarizes the TRP’s concerns as well as the clarifications provided by Ethiopia’s country coordinating mechanism.

ABSTRACT Despite facing substantial economic challenges, Zambia has successfully scaled up interventions across all three diseases, concluded an audit of Global Fund conducted by the Office of the Inspector General. However, issues concerning the capacity of health workers and the capacity of diagnostic systems have negatively impacted service delivery, the OIG found, and there have been delays in implementing program activities. Finally, Zambia’s health systems operating with obsolete infrastructures struggle to cope with the rapid increase of volumes caused by program scale-up.

ABSTRACT Mozambique’s new TB/HIV grants will have a strong focus on retention and adherence for people who were recently initiated on antiretroviral treatment. According to the Technical Review Panel, civil society, including representatives of key populations, were fully engaged in the development of the funding request. Among the concerns raised by the TRP was that the interventions to improve treatment outcomes for multiple-drug-resistant TB were not clearly articulated. In addition, the TRP sent two matching funds requests back for iteration.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund has partnered with the World Health Organization, the Stop TB Partnership and 13 high-TB-burden countries in an initiative to find and treat an additional 1.5 million cases of TB. The countries account for 55% of all missed cases of TB and multidrug-resistant TB.

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis advocates are calling on the expertise of the Global Fund Advocates Network to help them take advantage of several upcoming high-profile meetings to strategically advance efforts to combat the disease.

ABSTRACT This article considers two recent initiatives to boost the global response to the epidemic of tuberculosis – currently the leading infectious killer in the world. The first is $125 million in catalytic investments from the Global Fund to spur TB case finding. The second is a planned high-level meeting on TB at the 2018 United Nations General Assembly.