Quarterly Monitoring Report: Challenge TB - Burma, Year 2, January-March 2016

The project's workplan for the period of October 2015 to September 2016 focused on key priorities identified by the NTP, including finalizing the National TB Strategic Plan (NSP), NSP budget, operational plan for the NSP, and the Global Fund's Joint TB and HIV concept note. Significant achievements during the January-March 2016 quarter included the completion of main activities related to the NSP documents, with a few final edits still required. Project consultant Professor Steve Graham conducted a workshop on childhood TB, resulting in the development and acceptance of a new childhood TB action plan by national partners. The Challenge TB M&E staff conducted extensive meetings with NTP and CTB partners to estimate their expected activities and related budgets for the next two years, allowing for the development of the Concept Note Financial gap analysis. The project also initiated translation of eight national guidelines into English, including the MDR-TB training manual, A Guide for MDR TB Treatment Supporters, and the TB Handbook for Health Care Workers. Reports from Challenge TB consultants were shared among partners to ensure awareness of Challenge TB activities and to help multiply efforts and strengthen coordination of key activities. Technical and administrative challenges faced by the project included strengthening communications with the Director of Disease Control and NTP manager to ensure that MoH priorities were addressed effectively. The project also faced delays in implementing certain work plan activities due to NTP's restrictions. To overcome these challenges, the project team made preparatory steps to ensure that activities could be implemented immediately once NTP gave the green light. In terms of Year 2 activity progress, the project made significant progress in enabling environment, including the completion of the PPM Assessment and the submission of the report to the NTP/MOH. However, the project faced challenges in implementing scale-up activities in selected sites, including mapping drug seller locations, reviewing and selecting existing IEC materials, and adapting and developing materials if needed. The project also faced delays in conducting trainings for drug sellers and identifying champions. The project made progress in private and public hospital DOTS, including printing materials, conducting trainings, and introducing FAST in five hospitals. However, the project faced challenges in engaging private hospitals in PPM, including revising the draft TB-IC and submitting it to the NTP for review. The project also faced challenges in conducting supportive supervision of new PPM sites and meeting with the Myanmar Private Hospital Association (MPHA) to find possible collaboration in PPM. Overall, the Challenge TB project in Burma made significant progress in strengthening the country's NTP and improving TB control efforts during the January-March 2016 quarter. However, the project faced several challenges that needed to be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of the work plan activities.