Over 300 representatives from countries, partners and civil society came together virtually at the Global Meeting of the Working Group Meeting on Public-Private Mix (PPM) on TB prevention and care on 23 and 25 November. The Meeting was convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Fund.
The PPM Working Group Meeting organized in November 2020, was the fifteenth to be organized since the setting up of the PPM Working Group in 2002. The meeting focused on country progress towards adoption and roll out of the PPM Roadmap to close gaps in care and reach all the missing people with TB especially in high burden countries. Global progress, challenges and opportunities to expanding PPM considering high-level commitments to end TB – notably those committed to in the UN political declaration on TB, was discussed at the meeting. A special spotlight was placed on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB response, especially on private sector services.
The meeting resulted in a set of comprehensive priority actions to bolster PPM efforts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. An updated landscape analysis on private sector engagement with the latest data and PPM models was also pre-launched at the meeting to facilitate improved engagement of private providers to end TB. Global progress, challenges and opportunities to expand PPM to reach End TB targets– notably those committed to in the UN political declaration on TB, were extensively discussed at the meeting.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- Review global, regional and national progress in prioritizing PPM to close gaps in access to prevention and care services in high TB burden countries;
- Discuss the progress in rolling out the PPM Roadmap towards global end TB targets outlined in the UN political declaration and the WHO End TB Strategy.
- Deliberate on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB response, specifically on efforts to scale up private sector engagement to end TB.
The meeting was held in an interactive format.
Link
The first day featured interventions from a TB survivor, WHO and key partners including USAID, The Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A special country roundtable focused on progress and challenges being faced by countries in scaling up PPM, including around outsourcing of PPM services for greater efficiency. A comprehensive overview of progress made over one year since the launch of the TB PPM Learning Network was presented including a rapid growth in membership & knowledge sharing. This was followed by a spotlight on PPM and drug resistant TB, through a visual patient story and intervention from Viet Nam to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. The 2020 update of the PPM Landscape Analysis on private sector engagement to end TB was pre-launched at the meeting
WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE GLOBAL PPM WORKING GROUP MEETING
Day 1 ( 23 November 2020)
The second day focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PPM scale-up efforts. Private practitioners and national TB programme managers shared candid feedback on the grim situation in maintaining private TB care provision during the COVID-19 crisis but also shared how digital innovations are proving a game changer to ensure access to care. The meeting closed with group discussions on top priority actions to get PPM back-on-track to reach End TB targets, given the COVID-19 context. Harnessing digital innovations including telemedicine, improved monitoring and strengthening multisectoral accountability were among the key actions identified.
At the close of the meeting, representatives from national TB programmes, partners and civil society commended the work of the PPM Working Group and WHO and pledged to work with WHO and partners in restoring and strengthening PPM efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE GLOBAL PPM WORKING GROUP MEETING
Day 2 ( 25 November 2020)