TB CARE I - Zambia Year 2 Quarterly Report April-June 2012

The project hired two new technical staff, including a Senior Research Advisor and a Senior Program Advisor, to support project activities. Dr. Margaret Kasaro, the Senior Research Advisor, will focus on scaling up the operational research agenda, while Dr. Henry Phiri, the Senior Program Advisor, will oversee TB/HIV collaborative activities. The National TB Control Program (NTP) and TB CARE I partners held a joint year three planning meeting in June 2012, which provided valuable input for the project's focus areas in the upcoming year. The meeting was attended by representatives from the national TB reference laboratory and target provinces. Dr. Carol Dukes Hamilton, a Senior Scientist and TB CARE I board member, made a presentation on MDR-TB at the meeting. TB CARE I also supported the integration of TB infection control (TB IC) into facility-level plans in six facilities and provided training for regional staff in TB IC in Pretoria, South Africa. The project continued to support the implementation of the Ndola District TB IC demonstration project and evaluated compliance with IC work practices in the last quarter. In the area of TB/HIV, TB CARE I provided support to three district-level TB/HIV coordinating body meetings and trained 22 HIV Adherence Support Workers in Northern province. The project also received technical support from the TB/HIV Technical Advisor, Ms. Suzanne Bibi-Essama, who conducted an internal technical quality review of the project. TB CARE I supported the National annual data review meeting in May 2012, which was attended by TB/HIV/Leprosy coordinators and communicable diseases control specialists from all nine provinces. The project also provided technical and logistical support during provincial data review meetings held by the Copperbelt, North Western, Central, and Luapula provinces. In terms of operational research (OR), TB CARE I conducted a startup national-level training from April 17-20, 2012, which developed consensus around high-priority research concepts. A Senior Research Advisor has been hired to support TB CARE I's OR agenda and other FHI360 research projects in the country. TB CARE I partners have accelerated implementation of the workplan activities, and an implementation calendar for all major workplan activities is available. The project plans to hire more staff members to supplement current efforts and support the implementation of activities expanded to focused facility-level support. The project also made progress in the area of laboratory support, including training laboratory staff in the new diagnostic tool of LED-based microscopy and providing EQA support to 112 facilities. TB CARE I procured two Xpert MTB/RIF machines for placement at two points of care laboratories in the Central and Copperbelt provinces. TB CARE I's quarterly technical outcome report shows progress in several technical areas, including increased demand for and use of high-quality TB services and improved satisfaction with TB services provided. The project's overall work plan implementation status is 65%, and technical and administrative challenges are being addressed.