KEY HIGHLIGHTS
The event began with Mr Tenzin Kunor from the WHO Civil Society Task Force on TB and We are TB sharing his and his family’s personal experience with MDR-TB. He spoke of the impact TB had not only on him, his brother and father but also on his mother who cared for them.
Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme then provided opening remarks highlighting that whilst International Days allow a focus on women, men and children, TB affects everyone. She reiterated the focus of the webinar was to catalyse multisectoral action around developing a gender-sensitive response to end TB by bringing stakeholders together to explore barriers and seek solutions for gender equitable healthcare and to widen our understanding of gender inclusivity in the global response to end TB.
Oxana Rucsineanu then spoke of her and her husband’s life and fight with TB which led to the founding of the SMIT National TB Patients Association in the Republic of Moldova. She emphasised that the way forward is the necessary engagement of civil society, communities and people affected by TB to educate and implement community led monitoring, as valuable contributors to improve the policies and the quality of the services which are being provided in the country.
Then followed an interactive panel discussion chaired by Dr Amrita Daftary from the School of Global Health, York University, Canada and SSHIFTB, with specific questions to each panel member on why the burden of TB in men is an issue; what the reasons are for this burden and what we can do about it; what were the key findings from community, human rights and gender assessments in India and what can be done to better engage men in TB care through the private sector; and, what are the innovative solutions being pursued in Vietnam. The panellists were Dr Katherine Horton from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and LIGHT; Dr Jeremiah Chikovore from the Human Science Research Council, South Africa and SSHIFTB; Dr Ramya Ananthakrishnan from REACH India and the TBPPM Network; and Hai Viet Nguyen from the Viet Nam National TB Control Programme and the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
After a Q&A with participants speakers were asked for key take away messages. In summary, gender is an important social determinant of health. A gender-sensitive response to end TB must be gender-inclusive and tailored to the community and cultural context with meaningful engagement from TB-affected communities and civil society to address both medical and social needs. Local understanding, without judgement, of challenges men face in accessing timely, quality TB care and prevention to provide solutions through a person and family-centred approach is needed. Everyone, not just healthcare workers, are responsible for enabling a gender-sensitive response to end TB, critical to which is mobilising the youth with their new and creative ways of thinking to achieve more and much quicker.
The event was closed by Dr Lucica Ditiu with words of appreciation for the speakers, the audience, and the speed with which the WHO Global TB Programme inform and update their guidelines with the latest evidence. Dr Ditiu acknowledged that whilst new data and research are required, we must act now. With every hour that goes by people are unnecessarily dying of TB because of a lack of action, because of a lack of access and foremost because of a lack of funding. Everyone, whatever their gender, must be able to easily access - without barriers – timely, quality TB care and prevention in their community.
A recording of the event is available here.