Donation of innovative equipment for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis

29.06.2017

Update (2.11.2017)

Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation donates today another six GeneXpert equipment purchased under the program “Reducing TB burden in Romania by reforming the control system and strengthening treatment-resistant TB management by ensuring universal access to diagnosis and treatment and addressing the needs of people at risk” (ROU-T- RAA 679), funded by the Global Fund to Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The six hospitals in the country where the equipment is located are as follows:

  • Mureş County Clinical Hospital – TB Laboratory Tg. Mures
  • Slatina County Emergency Hospital – TB Section – TB Scorniceşti Laboratory – Olt County
  • Drobeta Turnu Severin County Emergency Hospital – Drobeta Tr. Severin TB Laboratory – Mehedinti County
  • Focşani County Emergency Hospital Sf. Pantelimon – TB Laboratory Focşani – Vrancea
  • Botoşani Pneumoftiziology Hospital – TB Botoşani Laboratory
  • Tulcea County Emergency Hospital – TB Tulcea Laboratory

The complete map of equipment available in the country purchased by the Romanian Angel Foundation since 2015 is presented below:

 

Initial News:

The Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation (RAA) today donates sixteen laboratory equipment for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis to the Marius Nasta Pneumophtisology Institute. The total value of donated equipment is 480,000 Euros.

MGIT, LPA and GeneXpert equipment were purchased, installed and supplied with diagnostic and consumables tests with the financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

„A non-treated tuberculosis patient can spread the disease among the family and the community. Providing a treatment regimen inappropriate to the form of tuberculosis suffered by the patient leads to the development of extremely resistant forms of tuberculosis with very low chances of healing and high rates of death. For these reasons, rapid and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis is important for both healthcare professionals and patients.” says Dr. Silvia Asandi, CEO of RAA.

The devices use molecular diagnostic technologies, liquid cultures and fast phenotypic ABG methods, offering the ability to test the sputum tuberculosis bacillus, its resistance to Isoniazid and Rifampicin from 2 up to 48 hours (two of the most powerful anti-tuberculosis drugs) as well as detection of resistance to other anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Last year, RAA also donated another thirteen such equipment to the Marius Nasta Institute, acquired through another internationally funded project.

Although global incidence has fallen by almost 50% in the past 12 years, Romania is the number one in the European Union in the number of tuberculosis cases. Last year, over 15,000 cases were reported, of which 530 cases of resistant or expanded multidrug resistant tuberculosis.

Since 2007 RAA Foundation together with other non-governmental organizations teamed into the Stop-TB Romania Partnership, supports the National Tuberculosis Control Program, advocates its adequate funding and changes to the legislative framework and to the mechanisms that represents barriers to control tuberculosis.

„Our support has resulted in the supply of inaccessible drugs in Romania for patients with resistant multidrug tuberculosis, in equipping laboratories with performant equipment and laboratory consumables, in support of support interventions for thousands of patients, capacity building activities and mobilization of the governmental sector, access to WHO technical support and more”, says Silvia Asandi.

Although the Government assumed in 2015 a National Strategy for Tuberculosis Control for the period 2015-2020, a series of barriers related to the legislative framework and current funding mechanisms still hinder universal access to diagnosis, treatment and support for those affected by tuberculosis.

 

 

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