Unitaid-funded ASCENT DR-TB project in Ukraine launched a series of multisectoral meetings planned at the level of administrative districts of Kyivska oblast (region), Ukraine, in collaboration with the National TB Program represented by the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyivska Oblast State Administration, and Kyivska Oblast Specialized Medical Center. This activity aims to strengthen interagency and multisectoral collaboration to overcome tuberculosis (TB) through identifying shared goals and resources that communities can mobilize to support TB and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Special attention is given to the active engagement of communities in the flagship initiative launched by the National TB Program “Territorial Community Free of TB”, which aims to unite the efforts of all stakeholders at the local level to create an environment where communities can effectively respond to TB-related challenges.

DR-TB in Ukraine

Ukraine remains one of the high-burden countries for TB in the WHO European Region. The country faces a particularly high burden of DR-TB. The ongoing war has further complicated the efforts for TB prevention and care, leading to disruptions in health services, population displacement, and increased vulnerability, especially in affected and de-occupied regions. Despite these challenges, Ukraine adopts WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics and shorter DR-TB treatment regimens, and partners actively support efforts to strengthen decentralized, person-centred TB care.

The discussion was led by Zhanna Osypenko, Deputy Head of Kyiv Region State Administration, who emphasized the importance of a multisectoral approach to addressing TB in the context of war and decentralization. Participants discussed the approaches to combating TB and the key role of territorial communities in implementing them. Tetiana Zemliak, Director General of the Kyivska Oblast Specialized Medical Center, delivered a presentation on the current epidemiological situation in Kyivska oblast and Brovarskyi district, and called upon community leaders to build sustainable partnerships between health, social, and educational sectors and local self-government bodies.

Kyivska Oblast Specialized Medical Center is the region-level TB facility which has the key coordination role in overseeing DR-TB care in the region under the health reform in Ukraine, while outpatient TB treatment is decentralized and primary health facilities are involved in it. Particular attention was paid to specific tools that communities can apply to prevent epidemics, including:

• the deployment of mobile diagnostic teams,
• the development of local support programs for people with TB, and
• the provision of social support.

Representative of one of the communities of Brovarskyi district, Tetiana Kudriavtseva, Head of Primary Health Care Center of Kalynivska Hromada, shared successful experience of collaboration with local self-government and institutions under its jurisdiction such as centers of administrative services, social protection service, to ensure efficient TB and DR-TB prevention measures, organization of screening of risk groups, referral for diagnosis, and support for people with TB.

Dr. Yana Terleieva, Ukraine NTP Manager, reflected:

A community is more than just a territory – it is the people who have the power to create a safe environment where everyone receives timely help. This is where the fight against tuberculosis truly begins.