The signed new Statement of Partnership (SP) establishes a shared framework between the MoHFW and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis by 2022 through increasing case detection and treatment of TB in its all forms.
This partnership marks the latest example of USAID’s new model of partnership, the “Global Accelerator to End Tuberculosis,” which aims to catalyze investments and aid countries across the world and meet the UN target of treating 40 million people by 2022, according to USAID.
The MoHFW reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to significantly reduce cases of TB by 2022.
USAID Mission Director Derrick Brown noted, “Today, by signing the Statement of Partnership, we at USAID recommit ourselves as a close partner of the Bangladesh government, as the country accelerates its efforts to achieve their targets by 2022.”
He said USAID Bangladesh will strongly collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in their mission of identifying, preventing, and treating all undetected forms of TB cases.
Bangladesh treated more than 2.5 million TB cases in 2018. However, almost 26 percent of cases remain undetected and the rate is even higher for the multi-drug resistant TB cases and child TB cases.
Through the signing of the partnership statement, USAID Bangladesh will be a technical partner of the Bangladesh government in their journey towards ending TB in Bangladesh.
USAID Bangladesh’s TB investments will focus on strengthening the laboratory and diagnostic services, detection and treatment of all forms of Tuberculosis, and preventive therapy.
The US government, through USAID, has provided more than $7 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since 1971.
In 2018, USAID provided nearly $219 million to improve the lives of people in Bangladesh through programs that expand food security and economic opportunity, improve health and education, promote democratic institutions and practices, protect the environment, and increase resiliency to climate change.