A meeting on tuberculosis prevention activities and the current situation was held at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The meeting, chaired by Minister of Health Teymur Musayev, was attended by Global Fund Portfolio Manager for the Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Olga Avdeyeva; Chairman of the Board of the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, Zaur Aliyev; Executive Director of the Medical Territorial Units Management Union (TƏBİB), Vugar Gurbanov; Deputy Chief of the Main Medical Department of the Ministry of Justice, Iftikhar Gurbanov, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Health and TƏBİB.
Highlighting that the healthcare sector has transitioned to the next stage as a result of targeted reforms under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Minister of Health Teymur Musayev said: “Successful healthcare reforms are based on three main principles. The first is the development of human capital. The second key factor driving fundamental changes is the digitalization of healthcare. Third, it is the new healthcare economy and financing of the system. Strengthening tuberculosis prevention measures is also part of these three pillars of the healthcare system.”
According to the minister, since 2012, the Azerbaijani government has started purchasing non-resistant tuberculosis drugs and fully covering other related expenses through state programs. Furthermore, a new financing mechanism—mandatory health insurance—has been implemented in Azerbaijan since 2021.

In his speech, Teymur Musayev emphasized that the Global Fund's projects have been continuously implemented in Azerbaijan and have made significant contributions to the fight against tuberculosis. The minister also pointed out that there has been a decline in tuberculosis incidence in the country.
"Despite our achievements, there is still a need to develop a long-term Strategy and Roadmap for the implementation of the Tuberculosis Action Plan. Tuberculosis is a global issue, and through collaboration and sharing our experiences, we can achieve even more positive results," the minister concluded.

In turn, Olga Avdeyeva and members of the Mission emphasized that the Global Fund has been actively involved in financing tuberculosis prevention efforts in Azerbaijan since 2005. The Mission representatives noted that the common goal is to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030, and they positively assessed Azerbaijan’s progress in this area.
During the meeting, Zaur Aliyev, Chairman of the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, and Vugar Gurbanov, Executive Director of TƏBİB, highlighted that specialized medical facilities for tuberculosis treatment have been built in the country, and modern approaches have been applied. The director of the Scientific Research Institute of Lung Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Irada Akhundova, presented a comprehensive report. Akhundova emphasized that within the framework of the Ministry of Health’s National Tuberculosis Program, positive changes have been observed over the past 10 years, including a reduction in tuberculosis cases and mortality rates.
The meeting concluded with productive and mutually beneficial discussions.