4.0. Introduction & Concept

This section aims to introduce the stakeholder consultation workshops for problem prioritization, root cause analysis, intervention identification, and optimization at national and ub-national levels.

Intended Audience

This section is intended for the national TB program (NTP), technical partner staff, key stakeholders, and technical assistance providers/ external consultants who conduct and support strategic TB program planning and implementation in high-TB-burden settings.

This step in the People-Centred Framework approach for TB Programming is centred around the comprehensive consultation of relevant stakeholders. The objectives of these consultative process is to synthesize the evidence generated during the data consolidation phase, and, where available, the findings from formal programme evaluation activities (e.g. JEMM, mid-term evaluations, etc.), and finally to develop stakeholder consensus. Consultation workshops are traditionally part of the strategic planning process, but the PCF approach suggests scheduling it much earlier in the process and including a wider range of stakeholders (representing all relevant interests and expertise). The PCF workshop is structured to inform relevant stakeholders by presenting the consolidated data in a structured and logical manner along the care continuum. This allows the participants to actively participate in identifying and prioritising gaps/ problems, performing root cause analyses, identifying and prioritising mitigating interventions.

Key points to consider during stakeholder consultations

• As many stakeholders as possible should be engaged in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of the national TB strategy as recommended in the WHO End TB Strategy
• It is important to especially engage non-typical stakeholders (non-implementers) – actors who can support or hinder implementation (“veto-players” & “advocates”). These may constitute policy- and decision-makers and implementors from religious, educational, legislative, or judicial entities, affected populations & interest groups, and important line ministries (e.g., departments dealing with domestic financing, drug & medical equipment licensing & importation, immigration/ migrant populations, etc.)
• A comprehensive list of relevant multi-sectoral, international, national, sub-national, government and non-government, engaged and non-engaged collaborative technical and funding partners should be compiled, including Civil Society Organizations / Community Based Organizations, describing their geographic coverage, the locations of facilities where they provide facility-based services, the communities with who they work, and their track record in providing health and/ or social services.
• Ideally, key Civil Society Organizations / Community Based Organizations should also be engaged in the data consolidation and analysis process
• Relevant external and local consultants, in particular data analysts, modelers, and financial specialists, should be identified and contracted.
• Representatives of the stakeholders should be equally divided over different subgroups for the national consultation workshop covering the three phases of the TB care continuum
• A secondary subgroup for other relevant health programs overseen by the NTP such as leprosy should be considered.