Collaboration needed in addressing TB and HIV/AIDS

THERE is a greater need work together in addressing Tuberculosis and HIV & AIDS, says the UNAIDS Asia Pacific and UNAIDS Eastern Europe director Eamonn Murphy.
Murphy addressed that during his opening keynote address in the End TB Dialogues Summit held recently.
“Many of the TB and HIV programmes are operating in isolation and almost in conflict with each other and it is not helping the patients (co-infected with TB and HI) we all serve.
“There are many missed opportunities for HIV and TB service access in Asia Pacific.
“Asia Pacific is home to 21 per cent of those who are co-infected with TB and HIV.
“One third of HIV treatment service providers does not provide TB treatment and three-fourth of TB service providers do not provide HIV treatment.
“This gap has got bigger overtime, and we need to work collectively to bring this down and make the programmes connect and work together.
“I have been to hospitals where in the compound you have a TB clinic in one part, and an HIV clinic in the other part, and the staff never talk.”
He added that only a quarter of countries in Asia-Pacific included TB preventative treatment in their national HIV policies and guidelines.
“Over 1.9 million persons living with HIV had received TB preventive treatment in 2022 globally.
“The, one patient two clinics bottlenecks of TB HIV care must become obsolete.
“There should be a commitment to joint programming that is a fully integrated model of care where all services for both TB and HIV are provided in a single facility and by the same service providers.
“We need to bring the silos together.”