15 September 2024, Pakistan – A landmark collaboration between the tuberculosis (TB) and reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) programmes has started in the Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Following WHO Pakistan’s support for the supply of essential medicines and equipment to strengthen TB and RMNCAH services at the Women & Children Hospital Charsadda, two important research studies are being launched. The first aims to screen antenatal and postpartum women to assess TB prevalence; the second will assess the feasibility of stool testing for TB diagnosis among children aged up to 10.
The studies will generate local evidence to support the adaptation of global guidance and strengthen integrated service delivery of the TB and RMNCAH programmes.
On 2 September 2024, a capacity building workshop was organized at the Women & Children Hospital to orient clinical and laboratory teams on the research protocols. TB programme stakeholders from the national, provincial and district levels were represented at the workshop alongside the district health office and hospital administration. Participants included the heads of the obstetrics/gynaecology and pediatric departments at the hospital, their teams and laboratory staff.
The workshop was facilitated by experts from the National Reference Laboratory for TB and WHO Country Office Pakistan.
The research studies will be implemented over the next 6 months with technical oversight by an advisory group comprising key stakeholders from the federal, provincial and district levels. The initiative, which will pave the way for programmatic integration, is the first of its kind in Pakistan.
