EECA partners align to make tobacco cessation standard in TB care

On 7 August 2025, the Global TB Caucus brought together advocates and practitioners from across Eastern Europe and Central Asia to share practical ways to integrate tobacco cessation into routine TB care. The session was facilitated by Alesia Matusevych, the Global TB Caucus Regional Manager for EECA, with expert input from Prof George Bakhturidze and active discussion on advocacy, funding and how to keep parliamentary champions engaged when external resources shrink.

Why Tobacco Control matters

Tobacco use worsens TB outcomes. Many TB patients want to quit but do not get the support they need at the clinic. Georgia’s experience shows what can change when services make brief advice, clear education, and simple follow up part of standard TB care. During the session, partners noted a high smoking prevalence among TB patients in Georgia at 46 percent. That figure underscores the need for clinic-based cessation support that meets people where they are.

Prof George Bakhturidze from the Tobacco Control Alliance outlined a three-year programme supported by the Global Fund in which TB services:

• trained health workers to deliver brief advice and, where feasible, pharmacotherapy

• produced patient-friendly education materials with clear quit plans

• introduced simple tools to record smoking status and track follow up at each visit

  
  

The result is a model that is clinic-ready and adaptable. It is not resource heavy. It fits into routine consultations. It builds habits that improve outcomes over time.

Participants identified four elements that can move quickly in different contexts:

1. Provider training that focuses on short, structured advice linked to TB regimens

2. Standard patient packs that explain risks, set a quit date, and point to available support

3. Routine recording of smoking status, quit attempts, and advice delivered in TB registers

4. Coalitions that include MPs so committees and budgets reflect cessation needs

   
   

Kyrgyzstan’s Chynara Bakirova highlighted recent legislative gains and stressed the value of involving tax authorities in prevention. Others pointed to the role of TB People chapters and national tobacco control NGOs in reaching families and communities.

There was broad interest in a short, adaptable model grant concept to help national TB and tobacco control partners start quickly. The draft concept focuses on:

• a concise brochure for health workers on modern treatment of tobacco dependence

• one-day trainings for TB providers in selected facilities

• awareness meetings with at least 100 patients and family members during treatment

• simple tools to record smoking status and advice at every visit

• a final dissemination event for 50 participants, including government and parliamentary representatives

• briefings with draft budget language to secure sustainable funding in state plans

The concept is built for phased rollout. Countries can start in a small set of facilities, learn and expand.

Key next steps

• Each country will nominate a focal point for a small drafting group

• Partners will map existing cessation services and identify domestic funding lines

• A short, shared indicator set will support routine monitoring and quality improvement

The aim is simple. Help people with TB to quit by making brief advice and follow up standard in every clinic.

How to get involved

If you work in TB services, tobacco control, or parliamentary engagement in EECA and would like to join the drafting group, contact Alesia Matusevych: alesia.matusevych@globaltbcaucus.org at the Global TB Caucus Secretariat. We welcome partners who can help adapt materials, deliver trainings, and secure budget commitments that last.