IMPACT TB policy dialogue convenes key stakeholders in Vietnam
As part of the EU Horizon 2020 funded project IMPACT TB, a policy dialogue was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Knut Lönnroth, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Kerri Viney and Olivia Biermann of the Department of Global Public Health are involved in IMPACT TB.
IMPACT TB is a project to find and treat cases of tuberculosis (TB) in communities in both Nepal and Vietnam. Karolinska Institutet’s stake in the project is the dissemination of the research findings and knowledge translation.
To discuss selected IMPACT TB results with key stakeholders in the area of active case-finding in Vietnam, KI and consortium partner Friends for International TB-Relief convened a policy dialogue on 11 December 2019 in Vietnam.
The dialogue involved stakeholders from the government, the National TB Programme, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, universities and research institutions, leaders from the IMPACT TB project districts, as well as volunteers and people affected by tuberculosis.
The dialogue was informed by three policy briefs on the following topics:
- Active case-finding implementation with salaried employees versus volunteers in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam;
- Chest X-ray referral and community-based TB screening using the Double-X algorithm in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; and
- Patient-incurred costs for active versus passive TB case-finding in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
The aim of the dialogue was to complement what is known from the IMPACT TB studies with stakeholders’ tacit knowledge, e.g. their experience. Based on the deliberation, the policy briefs will be finalized and shared among stakeholders to inform future policy and practice.
In July 2019, a similar event had taken place in Nepal. See the related web article IMPACT TB consortium meeting about collaboration, exchange and knowledge translation to end tuberculosis.