Ghana TB CARE I Year 3 Annual Report

The program aims to improve tuberculosis (TB) control services and achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halting and reversing the incidence of TB. The NTP is working with TB CARE I, a global health organization, to provide technical assistance and support to the program. TB CARE I's activities in Ghana are focused on improving TB case detection, laboratory services, and programmatic management of drug-resistant TB. The organization is also working to strengthen health systems and improve monitoring and evaluation. TB CARE I's technical assistance is being implemented in six technical areas: Universal Access, Laboratories, Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant TB, TB-HIV, Health Systems Strengthening, and Monitoring and Evaluation and Surveillance. One of the key achievements of TB CARE I in Ghana is the implementation of hospital-based TB case detection activities using standard operating procedures (SOPs) in six hospitals in the Eastern Region. The results showed a 46% increase in TB case detection, with a total of 519 TB cases detected between January and December 2012. This represents a significant improvement in TB case detection and a reduction in TB mortality. TB CARE I also provided technical assistance to develop the MDR-TB training curriculum, which has resulted in a 250% increase in the number of MDR-TB patients put on second-line drugs. Additionally, the organization supported the installation and capacity building of GeneXpert technology in four sites, which has enabled the detection of 780 successful tests, including 135 patients who were MTB positive and 21 who were MTB positive and Rifampicin Resistant. The NTP has also made significant progress in improving TB case detection among children aged 0-14 years, with a total of 483 health professionals trained using TB CARE I funds. This represents a 25% increase over the target, and the introduction of on-site training has been credited with this achievement. A comprehensive review of the TB program by external consultants has also been conducted, which has highlighted the program's strengths, including the decline in TB incidence, prevalence, and mortality in Ghana since the mid-1990s. The review has also identified areas for improvement, including the need to intensify TB case detection and improve clinical care of TB patients. Overall, the NTP in Ghana is making significant progress in improving TB control services and achieving the MDG target of halting and reversing the incidence of TB. The support of TB CARE I has been instrumental in this progress, and the organization's technical assistance and support will continue to be crucial in the coming years.