MSF, TAG symposium: Ending TB in India: Why civil society should dream and act BIG?

India contributes more than a quarter of the global cohort of TB patients and ranks first among the 27 MDR-TB high-burden countries. If the targets of the END TB strategy are to be reached, significant improvements and radical changes are urgently needed. Universal access to new and existing diagnostics is moving slowly, novel treatment modalities for MDR-TB are not being offered (e.g shorter regimens, new drugs), patient-centered approaches have not been defined as yet and there is a lack of innovation in the R&D agenda despite India’s research and funding potential. The Indian civil society can play an important catalyst for speeding up the ‘end of TB’ in the country.

Médecins Sans Frontières Access Campaign and Treatment Action Group cordially invite attendees of the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health being held in Cape Town, 2-6th Dec 2015 to participate in and deliberate at our Symposium on active engagement of civil society in achieving goals of the End TB strategy in India. The symposium will focus on new developments and policy changes in India’s national TB program, implementation gaps, the need for further research and development and the need for access to newer and better dugs and diagnostics. The symposium will attempt to find answers to some of the questions that civil society continue to grapple with such as:

• What role can civil society play in bridging the wide gap between policy changes and implementation on the ground?

• How can the role of community networks and civil society be expanded from service delivery to active advocacy for patient’s rights?

• How can civil society act as a catalyst for speeding up the ‘end of TB’ in India?

Chairpersons

Jennifer Furin, Tuberculosis Research Unit, Case Western Reserve University
Grania Brigden, Médecins Sans Frontières Access Campaign

Speakers

Zarir F Udwadia, Hinduja Hospital
Mike Frick, Treatment Action Group
Tsetan Dorji Sadutshang, Tibetan Delek Hospital
Homa Mansoor, Médecins Sans Frontières
Elizabeth Selhore, Sahara Aalhad
 
For more details, please contact:

Petros Isaakidis @ msfocb-asia-epidemio@brussels.msf.org / +91-9930534211
Shailly Gupta @ shailly.gupta@msf.org / +91-9899976108