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Description
The project aims to increase the capacity of health organizations, especially TB, and social services, to formulate integrated service delivery methodologies to better meet patients'' needs by involving all relevant actors (public institutions at local and central level), NGOs, former patients) and to carry out advocacy campaigns that contribute to a better social and professional inclusion of patients. The problem addressed is the lack of a working methodology at county level for the provision of integrated services for TB patients and their families. The project is carried out at national level and has 3 objectives: 1) To develop in a participatory way a working methodology for offering integrated community services that respond to the needs of TB patients and their families. 2) To increase the capacity of 60 local actors (NGOs, social workers, community nurses, health mediators, journalists, family doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc.) to provide integrated services for TB patients and their families. 3) The implementation of an advocacy campaign for the adoption by the local and central public authorities of the working methodology. The main results are: working methodology developed through a multi-stakeholder approach to providing integrated community services to meet the needs of TB patients and their families, increasing the capacity of former patients to get involved in advocacy processes, increasing the capacity of the authorities to provide integrated services to TB patients, advocacy campaign for adopting the methodology and implementing it. The activities are: A1 Project management, A2 Information and communication, A3 Developing an online platform for TB patients, A4 Needs maps and resources for TB patients, A5 Norway case study, A6 Working methodology for providing integrated community services for TB patients and their families, A7 Training courses for local actors, A8 Advocacy campaign to promote the methodology at the level of national actors.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to increase the capacity of health organisations, in particular TB organisations, to formulate integrated service delivery methodologies to better respond to patients'' needs by involving all relevant actors, and to run advocacy campaigns that contribute to better social and professional inclusion of patients.
The project has developed a working methodology for the provision of integrated community services for TB patients and their families, an online platform for TB patients and their families, training for TB professionals, a study visit to Norway and a case study on the Norwegian TB intervention model. Research was also carried out resulting in a resource and needs maps for TB patients in the 3 implementing counties - Constanța, Dolj and Prahova. Another component of the project was advocacy, whereby public decision making institutions received information on the methodology and 27 people participated in the advocacy workshop.
The project had an impact both among people affected by tuberculosis and among professionals who participated in the trainings and working groups. The resource and needs maps will be a useful long-term resource and model for other counties. Through this project, ASPTMR has succeeded in creating and maintaining a network of patients and former patients and a network of professionals who are resource persons for future TB policies and programmes.
Summary of bilateral results
The cooperation with the Norwegian Partner - LHL Tuberculosis Foundation is a long-standing one, and in this project the Partner was involved in a study visit and the case study development. The involvement of LHL in the project was important due to the experience and expertise the organisation has in the field of TB patient services, as well as trainings in Eastern Europe. Also, the treatment of TB patients in Norway is a model of good practice, not only from a medical point of view, but also as a multidisciplinary approach to their needs. The partnership has contributed significantly in achieving the results by providing feedback on the working methodology and providing the case study, which is the starting point for strategies and models of intervention in Romania. The cooperation will continue after the end of the project, on other activities and information and training actions in the field of tuberculosis, areas where the Norwegian Partner has extensive experience.