Over two-thirds of people with symptoms of tuberculosis initially seek care in the private sector. TB is a disease that thrives in areas with poor living conditions such as overcrowded spaces and poorly ventilated housing, and among those with weakened immune systems due to living with HIV, diabetes, or undernutrition.
TB also exposes gaps in the health care system surrounding access, stigma, and inequality, and TB care and prevention are intimately linked to the resilience of the health care system.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that public health care has been overstretched, leaving private health care providers at the forefront for both pandemic response as well as TB.
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About the authors
Petra Heitkamp
Petra Heitkamp is a community manager/director at the McGill International TB Centre, managing the TBPPM Learning Network, an online community engaging private health providers in tuberculosis care and prevention. She has 25 years of experience in international health and worked at the Stop TB Partnership and WHO based in India and Indonesia. She was involved in forging partnerships and creating advocacy strategies among stakeholders from global agencies to grassroots tribal leaders.
Dr. Mohammed Yassin
Dr. Mohammed Yassin is a public health physician and infectious diseases epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience. As a senior tuberculosis adviser at the Global Fund since 2010, he provides technical leadership on TB to ensure resources are prioritized for key interventions and vulnerable populations to maximize impact. Dr. Yassin promotes innovation, and partnership and accelerating implementation and monitoring, including via private sector engagement in TB.
