A national online training series for physicians on the management of Rifampicin Resistant/Multidrug Resistant Tu-berculosis (RR[MDR]TB) was organized by the Department of Medical  Microbiology of the UP Manila College of Public Health, also designated as SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Public Health, Hospital Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health (UP CPH/TROPMED Philippines). 

Launched as the “TB Academy” in collaboration with the International Union for TB and Lung Diseases (“The Union”) and Johnson & Johnson Philippines Inc. (J&J), the program supported the Department of Health National Tuberculosis Program (DOH NTP). Divided into two cohorts, the DRTB Management for Experts in the Philippines and the DR-TB Training in Clinical and Programmatic Decision Making, the course recently concluded with 51  physicians from the country’s 16 regions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 Global Tuberculosis Report, the Philippines  is included in the top 30 countries with the highest number of MDR-TB cases making up 6% of the total estimated cases of TB worldwide. This is a major challenge for the DOH NTP  which aims to treat 2.5 million Filipino TB patients by 2022 as part of its commitment to the WHO’s goal of ending TB by 2030 worldwide. 

Commencing in November 2020, the TB Academy training enhanced expertise on RR(MDR)TB management for the benefit of the chairs and co-chairs of the TB Medical Advisory Committees,  infectious diseases specialists, pulmonologists, pediatricians, and academics. The course content was carefully curated by experts from The Union, a global scientific organization aimed at improving the health of populations worldwide. Each of the four runs consisted of a four-week online learning course with both asynchronous lectures and live webcasts,  to strengthen the capacity of the participants in clinical and programmatic management of RR(MDR)TB; a weekly self-study learning module through a series of pre-recorded sessions; and a live session for case studies. 

In his closing remarks, CPH Dean and TROPMED Philippines Centre Director Dr. Vicente Y. Belizario Jr., shared the very satisfactory to outstanding feedback from the participants. He highlighted the management of TB (both susceptible and DR-TB) as  more challenging now with the COVID-19 pandemic—“Despite the pandemic, proper management of TB patients, particularly DR-TB patients, should not be forgotten as we do not want to have an upsurge of TB cases in the coming years. Thus, we found the course to be very relevant at this time.”

Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho, DOH Director for Disease Prevention and Control, expressed  gratitude to the organizers for supporting DOH particularly the TB program which is one of the regular programs compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to look at this as an opportunity to continuously strengthen our TB program using some of the many entry points of the COVID response as opportunities for us to grow and innovate within our TB program,” said Dr. Ho.

Dr. Erwin Benedicto,  J&J Philippines Head of Medical Affairs mentioned the barriers in the deployment of the course amidst the pandemic and was thankful for the persistence and support of the team of collaborators. “We wish to bring this more so that we could reach more doctors who can help manage our patients with tuberculosis. Our dream is to have this institutionalized so that it will not end by our support alone but it will be sustained  across the country led by either UP or DOH,” Dr. Benedicto  said. 

With the success of this pilot offering, the organizing committee has decided to add more runs and expand the coverage of the participants to include nurses, medical technologists, and other health workers taking care of TB  patients in  the country. The TB Academy online course has been  useful  in  empowering clinicians by enhancing their knowledge on RR(MDR)-TB  for capacity building especially during this pandemic. Continuing collaboration with DOH will help institutionalize the TB Academy in UP CPH/TROPMED Philippines in support of the National Tuberculosis Program. Evalyn A. Roxas, Maria Margarita M. Lota, Azita G.Lacuna, Loisse M. Loterio, Vicente Y. Belizario, Jr.

Featured in the UP Manila Healthscape (Special COVID-19 Issue No. 28, 30 June 2021)