The Global TB Caucus conducted a bilateral visit in Belarus on 20-22 May 2019. The delegation was composed of Mr Jamshed Murtazaqulov, MP from Tajikistan, Mr Paul Sommerfield, Mr Daniel Kashnitsky from the TB Europe Coalition, Ms Natalya Kryshtafovich, CSO Defeat TB Together and Tsira Chakhaia, member of the GTBC secretariat.
During three days, the delegation of the GTBC met with representatives and executives of the Belarus Government to discuss opportunities for collaboration and work to enhance a sustainable political response to TB, as well as translating into action, commitments made at the UN High-Level Meeting on TB.
On the first day, the delegation and the TB Europe Coalition visited the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and met with the chairperson - Dr Ludmila Makarina-Kibak and members of the Standing Committee on Health, Physical Culture, Family and Youth Policy.
Right after that, they visited the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus to discuss cooperation between TB services and civil society. The delegation was hosted by Dmitry Pinevich, First Deputy Minister responsible for TB care and his team.
Finally, members of the GTBC had a meeting with the representatives of WHO Belarus office in Minsk and visited the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pulmonology and Phisiology in Minsk.
For the second day of this bilateral meeting, the delegation together with Mr Murtazakulov had site visits at the “2nd City TB Dispensary” and the Republican Tuberculosis Hospital “Volkovichi”, where the involuntary isolation of TB patients in case of need is practiced. By the end of the day, they met with the representatives of Belarusian Society of the Red Cross.
During the third and last day of the visit, members of the GTBC met with the Principal Recipients of the Global Fund in Belarus, as well as MSF representatives at the grant management department of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Technologies, Informatization, Management and Health Economics. They could also have a talk with representatives from Tajik and British Embassies.