DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
Good Morning.
Welcome to the Seventh Meeting of National TB Programme Managers and Laboratory Managers from countries with a high burden of tuberculosis.
This meeting is important because it brings together everyone who can help solve the problems we face—
from national programme managers and WHO Headquarters experts to donors and partner agencies.
I truly appreciate the work of national TB programme managers
and staff, as well as our partners.
WHO also extends special thanks to our donors for allowing us
to maintain and introduce innovative TB control efforts in the
Western Pacific Region.
Your commitment and hard work have led to dramatic results
in less than a decade.
The estimated annual number of TB cases in the Region has been cut nearly in half—from 3.6 million in 2000 to 2 million in 2008.
Still, many challenges remain.
Too many patients remain undiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary deaths and ongoing transmission in our communities.
Multidrug-resistant strains of TB are a constant threat.
We want to enhance training and laboratory facilities throughout the Region,
as well as help craft meaningful policies and practices to ensure the availability and use of quality drugs.
About a year ago, Member States endorsed the Regional Strategy to Stop TB in the Western Pacific (2011–2015).
Since then countries have started projects aimed at finding TB cases among high-risk and vulnerable groups.
WHO assisted in piloting and documenting these new approaches.
Some of these pilot projects have proven so successful that they have led to funding opportunities and plans for expansion to other countries and areas.
To improve the detection and diagnosis of TB, HO is working closely with supra-national and national reference laboratories.
Many of the new tools being rolled out are exciting.
But we must be careful to safeguard quality and to ensure that all patients have access to treatment.
On the multidrug-resistant TB front, WHO is providing support and expertise to ensure solutions are tailored to country-specific needs.
WHO technical assistance programs in Cambodia,
the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia,
Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam
are assisting national TB programme managers to scale-up
MDR-TB interventions and address related human resource needs.
For this reason, the Western Pacific Region has been selected as one of the pilot regions for the Regional Green Light Committee.
The Committee will support countries to scale-up
MDR-TB management, while preventing the spread of extensively drug-resistant TB.
WHO also works to help countries manage programmes and resources more effectively.
This support comes in the form of help to countries in mobilizing resources for targeted activities
through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,
TB REACH programmes and other sources.
The challenges that countries face in their national TB programmes require on-going and enhanced efforts at all levels and across sectors.
Increased political commitment is needed to strengthen not only
TB control programmes, but also entire health systems,
especially in the areas of laboratories, drug management, surveillance and human resource development.
This meeting presents a unique opportunity to discuss the wide range of topics on the agenda in detail
because national TB programme managers, laboratory managers and TB Team focal points, as well as donors and key technical partners, are all gathered here.
Joining the meeting on Wednesday will be the members of the new Regional Green Light Committee, as they will play a fundamental role in supporting MDR-TB programmes and scale-up plans.
I wish you all a productive and successful meeting, and I'm certain you will enjoy your time in here in Manila.
Thank you