From 5 to 8 October 2010, members of the High-Level Working Group on the Establishment of Black Sea Partnership in the Area of TB Control with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health and representatives of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine made a visit to the Republic of Bulgaria, during which they held a number of bilateral meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria on the issue of establishing interaction in TB control and further developing the initiative of Black Sea Partnership in the area of TB control.
The visit was made as a result and in implementation of the arrangements made during the official visit to Ukraine of a delegation of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria headed by chairman of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria Mrs C. Cacheva on 13 September 2010, in which Mrs C. Cacheva expressed active support for the initiative to establish Black Sea Partnership in the area of TB control and for Bulgaria’s participation in it.
The Ukrainian delegation included: Yury Gaidayev – people’s deputy of Ukraine, head of the High-Level Working Group on the Establishment of Black Sea Partnership in the Area of TB Control – head of the delegation; Vasyl Mykhalchuk – first deputy head of the Committee to Control HIV/AIDS and Other Socially Dangerous Diseases with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine; Igor Gorbasenko – deputy head of the High-Level Working Group on the Establishment of Black Sea Partnership in the Area of TB Control, member of the National Council on HIV/AIDS and TB Control with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine; Vitaly Rudenko – head of the secretariat of the High-Level Working Group on the Establishment of Black Sea Partnership in the Area of TB Control, chairman of the board of ‘Ukrainians Against TB’ Public Movement Foundation and other public officials of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Support of the visit was carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Involved in the work of the delegation was attache on cultural and humanitarian issues of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Bulgaria Vitaly Peichev.
During the visit, meetings were held with: Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria Viktor Kalnyk; Minister of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria Stefan Konstantinov; deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria Desislava Dimitrova; director of the Direction on AIDS, Tuberculosis and STIs Prevention and Control with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria Tonka Varleva; head of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of the Republic of Bulgaria Hristo Taskov; head of the Bulgarian Association for Patients’ Rights Protection Plamen Taushanov; representatives of Bulgarian mass media.
At a reception by Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria Viktor Kalnyk, issues were discussed concerning interaction between Ukraine and Bulgaria in the context of developing Black Sea Partnership in the area of TB control.
The Embassy took an active part in supporting the visit. In particular, on that same day a meeting took place at the Ukrainian Embassy of members of the Working Group with representatives of non-governmental organisations and mass media of the Republic of Bulgaria.
At a meeting with director of the Direction on AIDS, Tuberculosis and STIs Prevention and Control with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria Tonka Varleva and head of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Hristo Taskov, discussed were directions for interaction in the area of TB control, achievements of the sides in this area, mechanisms for interaction between relevant public health structures of Ukraine and Bulgaria.
There was a fruitful exchange of experience in fighting TB. The Ukrainian delegation familiarised the Bulgarian colleagues with latest developments of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in the area of TB control, in particular, the standard for providing medical care for people with chemoresistant tuberculosis, the clinical protocol for providing medical care for people with combined TB and HIV infection, forms of primary recording documents and forms of TB reporting, the standard for providing treatment for HIV-positive people who are consumers of injection drugs, where the issue is covered of taking care of people with the co-infection, etc.
In its turn, the Bulgarian side familiarised the Ukrainian colleagues with the methodical guidelines on microbiological diagnostics and treatment of tuberculosis, the methodical guidelines on early diagnostics and treatment of tuberculosis by doctors of medical establishments as part of primary outpatient medical care, the methodical guidelines on tuberculosis control at medical establishments, the methodical guidelines on therapeutic treatment for resistant tuberculosis, the methodical guidelines on tuberculosis control at penitentiary establishments, the methodical guidelines on consultation and examination for HIV at TB dispensaries. There was a fruitful exchange of opinions on these issues.
At a meeting of the delegation with deputy Health Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Desislava Dimitrova, the need was confirmed and stressed to sign a common bilateral document on cooperation as part of the establishment and development of Black Sea Partnership in the area of TB control, and procedures were discussed for preparing such a document.
The delegation’s meeting with newly-appointed Health Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Stefan Konstantinov involved Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria Viktor Kalnyk. The Bulgarian side at the meeting included director of the Direction on AIDS, Tuberculosis and STIs Prevention and Control with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Bulgaria Tonka Varleva.
Representatives of the Ukrainian side sincerely congratulated Health Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Stefan Konstantinov on having been appointed to the high state post.
During the meeting, the sides stressed the importance of further strengthening of the public health systems, confirmed the urgency and the need to make concerted efforts to overcome tuberculosis in the Black Sea region and to create Black Sea Partnership in the area of TB control.
Also, the issue was discussed of preparing an signing relevant interstate documents.
The Ukrainian delegation expresses sincere gratitude to Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria Viktor Kalnyk, attache on cultural and humanitarian issues of the Ukrainian Embassy in Bulgaria Vitaly Peichev for assisting in the delegation’s work and making a contribution to strengthening of relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria in the area of improving health of the countries’ populations.