The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a unique region of Azerbaijan – not only it is geographically separated from the rest of the country, Nakhchivan also has its own government institutions, including an elected parliament and Ministry of Health (MOH).

In spite of the area’s geographic isolation, USAID and Nakhchivan have established a foundation for cooperation on priority health issues. In collaboration with the Research Institute for Lung Diseases, USAID and the Nakhchivan MOH organized a conference on tuberculosis (TB) and lung diseases June 6-7, 2012 for over 100 participants, including health workers from Nakhchivan city and surrounding districts, students and faculty members from the medical department of Nakhchivan State University, journalists, and representatives from WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Experts from both Baku and Nakhchivan covered a number of critical topics during the conference, including the evolution of TB services in Azerbaijan, modern methods of detection and treatment of TB, multi-drug resistant TB, TB in children, TB and HIV/AIDS, and developments at the National Reference Laboratory. To support implementation of new TB standards, USAID distributed copies of clinical protocol guidelines on TB detection and treatment to the participants.

In addition to organizing the conference, USAID taught local health personnel to use e-TB Manager, a comprehensive TB registration and monitoring software program that will strengthen the area’s TB recording and reporting system. The health workers immediately began to enter patient data into the program following the training.

At the end of the conference, USAID and Nakhchivan health and education institutions discussed the possibility of future collaboration in other health areas, such as maternal and child health. While the conference lasted only two days, the event marked the beginning of a new direction in the partnership between Azerbaijan and USAID.