The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has handed over medical equipment to 12 healthcare facilities in the central Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan to assist in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), it has announced.  

Representatives of the USAID Mission to Uzbekistan, National Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Center and the Syrdarya Regional Health Administration participated in a ceremony for the receipt of the equipment. It included electronic thermometers, stethoscopes, tonometers and otoscopes.

USAID said: “Thanks to the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, the U.S. Government, and international partners, Uzbekistan has made great strides in reducing TB cases and associated deaths. However, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) continues to be a significant issue in Uzbekistan.  USAID works to reduce the TB burden in Uzbekistan and Central Asia by building local and regional capacity to improve the detection and treatment of MDR-TB.”

During the event, Anna Meltzer, USAID Uzbekistan health team lead stated: “Today’s event demonstrates the continued partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan to improve healthcare services in the regions, including in Syrdarya. Working together we can improve the health and well-being of Uzbekistan’s citizens.”

The medical equipment was donated by a US manufacturer, Welch Allyn, through USAID’s “Eliminating TB in Central Asia” project. The equipment will be delivered to TB outpatient facilities in Syrdarya region (Akaltyn, Bayavut, Gulistan, Khavast, Mirzaabad, Sardoba, Saikhunabad, and Syrdarya); TB dispensaries and hospitals in the cities of Gulistan, Shirin and Yangiyer; and to the Syrdarya Regional Center of TB and Lung Diseases.