The objective of the program, which is meant to benefit more than 25,000 Ethiopians, is to support Ethiopia with a comprehensive package of TB interventions to provide quality case detection, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as strengthen referral linkages between health facilities and communities in need.
The project focuses on improving community TB awareness, multidrug-resistant TB diagnosis and care, and public–private partnerships. They provide technical assistance to regional health bureaus, zonal, and woreda (district) health offices in implementing community-based TB care and other aspects of TB prevention and control; and will also support community actors including health extension workers and nongovernmental organizations to strengthen community-based TB structures, ensuring better referral systems, improved case detection, and increased adherence to treatment.
HEAL-TB will expand, improve and sustain TB services in ten zones in the Amhara and Oromia regions. Expansion into additional zones will occur after two years of implementation. In addition to improved TB services, HEAL-TB will develop the capacity of Health Extension Workers in nearly 3,500 health posts to identify possible tuberculosis cases and make referrals for diagnosis to health facilities, thus increasing the number of infected patients receiving quality case detection and treatment.
HEAL-TB will also work with the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) and Regional Reference Laboratories to implement a quality assurance system for health center and hospital laboratories.
