The HSE’s tuberculosis (TB) strategy has received no dedicated funding despite an ongoing increase in diagnoses.
The strategy, published in March 2024, seeks to address the social determinants of TB and enhance prevention, detection, and care.
Last year TB cases rose to 289, the highest number since 2018. Cases are expected to surpass 300 in 2025. The majority of affected people were born overseas – particularly in high-incidence countries.
A HSE spokesperson told the Medical Independent: “No additional specific funding was associated with the TB strategy, but work is delivered through the current funded teams, services and programmes.”
“The National Health Protection Office, working closely with the national TB advisory committee, has continued to progress work to improve active case finding, manage cases and outbreaks, support laboratory diagnostic services, retain people in care to completion of treatment, and support professional development and training of staff.”
Some areas of progress have included updates to evidence-informed guidance. This was a “long overdue need” that public health and clinical colleagues had identified as “a key enabler for their work”.
Preliminary work is taking place to develop a selective Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination programme. This process has identified “various issues and interdependencies” required to progress the delivery of the programme, including trained staff, screening for immunodeficiencies in children, and identified budgets in regional as well as national structures.
The HSE National Social Inclusion Office funds Safetynet to conduct active case finding for TB among people living in international protection accommodation centres. There is also work ongoing to develop the public health TB nursing workforce capability. Submissions on the TB strategy have been made as part of the 2026 HSE service planning process. See news feature https://www.medicalindependent.ie/in-the-news/news-features/tb-ensuring-patient-centred-care-amid-growing-incidence/
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