The National Tuberculosis Programme: Role and Functions

With the overall goal of ending tuberculosis (TB), and eventually approaching TB elimination, several interventions need to be implemented. They include ‘in primis’ early and rapid diagnosis, and effective treatment of people with active disease and with latent TB infection. Globally, there are still large gaps in the delivery of TB services, and it is crucial to build the capacity of National Tuberculosis Programmes (NTPs) to deliver coordinated preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for all people affected by TB and their families. In their organisation, National Tuberculosis Programmes need first to ensure the leading role and effective functions of the Central Unit in order to implement a coordinated set of actions at different levels of the TB programme. These span from organising a quality network of laboratories and an efficient drug procurement system, to ensuring regular monitoring and surveillance activities and quality clinical services. This chapter aims at describing role and functions of NTPs at national and subnational levels (general organisation and direction) and to review planning activities at different country levels. Examples of activities performed by NTPs are also described. Furthermore, the chapter proposes an exercise for self-learning.