Embassy News

Project HOPE and USAID help to open a Tuberculosis Training Center at the Turkmen State Medical Institute

PAS No 196
September 27 2007

At the Opening Ceremony

Ashgabat, September 27, 2007 – A training center, with support from Project HOPE and USAID, was opened at the Turkmen State Medical Institute’s Department of Tuberculosis on September 18, 2007.  The center will help to prepare medical specialists for the implementation of the Turkmenistan National Tuberculosis Control Program, based on the Directly-Observed Tuberculosis Treatment Short-course strategy (DOTS).

Project HOPE, with funding from USAID, bought training equipment, furniture, air conditioning units, and educational materials for the center.  In addition to training programs, the center will also be used for conferences, lectures, panel discussions, meetings of thematic groups and other activities.

Tuberculosis control is a priority for the Government of Turkmenistan, which has called for national implementation of the DOTS strategy for Tuberculosis control by 2009.  Project HOPE and USAID provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry in the cities of Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi, Mary, Balkanabat and in the Serdar district of Balkan province.

Tuberculosis control and prevention is one of the many areas, supported by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is the largest donor organization in Turkmenistan.