The TB Funding Request

All funding requests submitted to the Global Fund on the 23rd May 2017 are tailored applications, which means that they primarily describe those interventions that are subject to change while maintaining a large number of existing interventions. Because of the high HIV and TB co-infection rate, Ghana was required to submit a joint HIV/TB funding request.

Case finding is considered as the biggest challenge. The funding request aims at increasing case detection from current levels of 55 cases per 100,000 population to 62 cases per 100,000 in 2020 with the option to achieve 90 per 100,000 once funds become available to over all 216 districts. The following interventions are proposed:

  1. Targeted supervision at healthcare facilities with Intensified Case Finding in 113 prioritized districts to ensure that at least 80% of presumed TB cases are tested and 100% of confirmed TB cases are initiated on treatment.
  2. In the 113 prioritized districts, TB diagnosis will be based on GeneXpert and Digital X-ray to double case detection as the current smear microscopy identifies only about one third of the cases.
  3. Countrywide DR-TB and HIV/TB screening, diagnosis and treatment using the new shorter MDR-TB regimen.
  4. Targeted childhood TB-screening for children under five years integrated into Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in Upper East and Upper West Regions as well as MNCH services.
  5. Screening in high-risk populations (mining areas, urban slums and prisons) using mobile outreach.
  6. Household contacts investigation of at least 50% of all bacteriologically confirmed new TB cases.
  7. Partnering private sector to increase TB case detection and
  8. TB stigma reduction activities led by a National TB ambassador.

An amount of US$14,891,925 is requested for the TB component, of which 8.4m US$ will be required for TB care and prevention and further 4.8m USD for MDR-TB.