The implementation and monitoring of an innovative, six-month, all-oral regimen for the treatment of drug-resistant TB continued within the framework of the operational study led by the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Pulmonology and Phthisiology (RSPC PP) in the capital, Minsk. Patients from across the country were enrolled in the study and began treatment during the year.

To ensure uninterrupted access to this treatment for all patients, we supplied the national TB programme with drugs, and our specialist advisors provided technical support to the staff responsible for reporting adverse effects and analysing medical data.

We also helped the RSPC PP laboratory prepare for the introduction of next-generation sequencing, a technology that enables faster detection of drug resistance, by organising a site visit to a laboratory jointly run by MEDSF and the Ministry of Health in Uzbekistan, which already uses the technology.