WHO launches The Essentials to help guide implementation of the End TB Strategy

World Health Organization
June 8, 2016, 3:44 p.m.
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The World Health Organization’s Global TB Programme has developed operational guidance, The Essentials, for effective adaptation and implementation of the End TB Strategy.

Geneva, 16 May - 2016 is the first year of implementation of the WHO End TB Strategy in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, both of which include the aim of ending the TB epidemic. To support the work ahead, the World Health Organization’s Global TB Programme is issuing today operational guidance, The Essentials, for effective adaptation and implementation of the new Strategy as was requested by Member States during the 2014 World Health Assembly.

The Essentials provides in-depth explanations of the vision, goal, targets and milestones of the End TB Strategy as well as the key indicators to measure progress. It then outlines the essential features of operationalizing the principles, pillars and components of the End TB Strategy. Country experiences are included throughout as examples in applying elements of the Strategy.

Dr Mario Raviglione, the Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme, confirmed the need for new ways of working in taking forward the Strategy, “The Essentials emphasize that transitioning from halting TB to ending the TB epidemic altogether means a transformation in approaches and a new mind-set.”

The Essentials is organized in three parts: Part I presents the overall approach, principles and the first steps of implementation expected at the country level. Part II explains the vision, goal, indicators, targets and milestones of the Strategy and Part III outlines the policies, actors and actions needed to help implement the new approaches laid out under the three pillars of the Strategy: (i) Integrated, patient-centred care and prevention; (ii) Bold policies and supportive systems; and (iii) Intensified research and innovation.

Deeper insights into the approaches for ground level implementation of the various elements of the End TB Strategy and further supportive tools including for monitoring and evaluation, will be available in the coming months as countries continue adaptation and begin scaled-up implementation. Therefore, The Essentials is a “living document” which will be supplemented and iterated online by country experiences. Mukund Uplekar, Diana Weil and all who contributed to the development of the document welcome feedback and documentation of country efforts, including new areas of work. Please send any comments to gtbprogramme@who.int.


Source: WHO