TB Innovations and Health Systems Strengthening | Annual Report February-September 2018

The Project is guided by the technical needs and gaps of the National TB Program (NTP) and provides technical assistance and support to the NTP and counterparts to fulfill the national agenda and targets. The Project aims to rapidly identify and expand state-of-the-art approaches to maximize TB case detection and health seeking behavior, integrate and institutionalize high-impact practices to improve TB and DR-TB adherence and quality of care, and create a supportive environment encompassing the continuum of TB prevention to care. In the first year, TB Innovations laid the groundwork to achieve its primary goal by establishing its Manila project office, developing Year 1 and Year 2 workplans, and conducting collaborative and consultative meetings with national government counterparts, implementing partners, regional health offices, key private stakeholders, and other donor-funded TB projects in the Philippines. The Project team identified gaps and needs and agreed on the programmatic priorities of the project and its main strategic approaches and activities. Key achievements of the Project during its first year of implementation include developing and presenting the diagnostic laboratory strategic plan, updating and revising the diagnostic algorithm, finalizing and submitting the Administrative Order on Mandatory Notification for approval by the DOH Secretary, and developing a business model for private sector access to GeneXpert to Xpert machines. The Project's key deliverables are presented in this report under two major components: logistic and administrative, and programmatic. Logistic and administrative deliverables include the collaborative development of Year 1 and Year 2 Annual Work Plans, which involved inclusive, collaborative design and development of the USAID project plans with stakeholder consultations, review of national and organizational reports and data, and agreement among partners. The development of the Project's Year 2 workplan and Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (AMEL) Plan followed a similar inclusive process and included significant effort to align closely with the USAID TB Platforms project, the Global Fund project, and other key initiatives and activities. The Project also established a Manila project office and hired and mobilized the Project's four expatriates. Dr. Mary Rosary Santiago, the project's DR-TB Technical Officer, was seconded four days per week to the NTP to work closely with its PMDT team. The project's technical advisors are working closely on-site with the NTP, NTRL, and HPCS teams to identify technical gaps, jointly design the appropriate interventions, share knowledge, and transfer skills to ensure capacity building and sustainability. TB Innovations is working closely with the NTP to identify technical gaps and design interventions to address them. The Project's technical advisors are working on-site with the NTP, NTRL, and HPCS teams to share knowledge and transfer skills to ensure capacity building and sustainability. The Project's key deliverables are presented in this report under two major components: logistic and administrative, and programmatic. The Project's programmatic deliverables include the development of a diagnostic laboratory strategic plan, the update and revision of the diagnostic algorithm, and the development of a business model for private sector access to GeneXpert to Xpert machines. The Project's programmatic deliverables also include the development of a governance model structure for the National TB Program, the development of a country transition plan to the new MDR-TB treatment regimens, and the preparation of a concept note on the implementation of a short-term injectable free regimen as implementation research. The Project's technical assistance priorities are guided by the patient-centered approach to improve health and save lives along the four pillars of the TB Continuum of Care.