A regular meeting of the National Coordinating Committee to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria of Tajikistan (NCC) was held last week under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister, NCC Chairman Azim Ibrohim.
The meeting was attended by NCC members, representatives of international organizations and other invited officials.
The meeting focused on the issues relating to the implementation of the National Program for Combating the HIV Epidemic in Tajikistan for 2017-2020, the NCC Work Plan for 2020, the NCC Oversight Commission Work Plan for 2020 and proposals for amending the composition of the NCC Oversight Commission.
During the discussion, it was found that the implementation of state programs to combat AIDS by the country’s relevant structures is not carried out at the proper level.
According to the report of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, the ministry had carried out certain work on HIV/AIDS prevention among labor migrants.
However, NCC Chairman assessed the ministry’s activities on HIV/AIDS prevention among labor migrants as insufficient.
While instructing to strengthen outreach among migrants and members of their families, Azim Ibrohin noted that it is necessary to strengthen the work of centers for pre-departure training of migrants and units of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population of Tajikistan in Russia.
The report of the Main Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences (MDECS) of the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan on the implementation of the National Program to Combat the HIV Epidemic for 2017-2020 was heard and assessed as satisfaction.
Azim Ibrohim instructed the leadership of the MDECS and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan to improve the provision of appropriate medical services for HIV-positive people who are being released from correctional facilities.
The representative of the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan noted that every year funding for the implementation of national HIV programs in Tajikistan from the state budget increases, including next year it will increase by 1 million Tajik somoni for HIV tests.
During the discussions, representatives of USAID, the non-governmental international association Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) and other nongovernmental organizations in Tajikistan expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, other ministries and departments, as well as expressed their willingness to continue funding government programs to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in Tajikistan.
USAID representatives said that the USAID grant will be launched to eliminate TB in Central Asia, including Tajikistan, which will be implemented by UPAssosiat for a period of 5 years for a total of $ 31.6 million, of which $ 15.2 million will be allocated to Tajikistan.
During the meeting, the representative of the Global Fund Alan Nabiyev also informed the NCC Chairman about the deadlines for submitting next applications for grants from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS and TB, which will be determined by March 23, 2020.
Participants also discussed and approved the draft NCC Work Plan for 2020 and the Work Plan of the NCC Oversight Commission for 2020.
Azim Ibrohim noted that a comprehensive consideration of this issue is under the close attention of the country’s leadership, and in this regard, responsible structures are obliged to qualitatively and timely fulfill all their obligations.
