Subject: The purpose of the PlayDecide activity is to create dialogue and a platform between Iasi, Romania, and Balti, Moldova, to develop joint projects on tuberculosis.
Participants involved: 5 partner organizations which operate in a geographic area near the border and are engaged in TB control.

Moldova participants:

Speranta Terrei
Speranta Terrei is a grassroots, community organization based in Balti. It conducts TB awareness campaigns, gives patients treatment adherence support, and promotes rights and responsibilities of TB patients. Speranta Terrei participates in national and municipal programs and brings together patients, practitioners, and the community to contribute to TB control.
Speranta Terrei will be the principal partner institution in Moldova.

Department of Phthisiopneumology, Clinical Municipal Hospital Balti
Balti TB Hospital serves the municipality of Balti and surrounding areas in north Moldova. It is an integral part of the national network of TB services for diagnosis and treatment. The dispensary and regional reference laboratory for this area are located at Balti TB Hospital.

Romania participants:

Stichting Romanian Children’s Humanitarian Foundation
RCHF is an NGO registered in the Netherlands and based in Iasi, Suceava and Botosani Counties of Romania. Its activities are public health education, TB awareness including patients' rights, rural poverty alleviation, and prevention of drug abuse and crime. RCHF is a member of Eurad (Europe against illegal drugs). RCHF has also developed an interactive, educational to help make learning aboutTB easier for children. As school children play this board game, they participate in learning how to prevent TB. RCHF has also an animated basic Hygiene book again aimed at child education.
RCHF will be the principal partner institution in Romania.

Iasi Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases
Iasi Clinic is an integral part of the Tuberculosis Management and Control Network in Romania. An ambulatory pulmonary unit monitors TB patients. The hospital is a pilot center for implementing the international DOTS strategy in eastern Romania and the microbiology laboratory is the regional reference laboratory. Iasi Clinic is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Gr. T. Popa” and has a research nucleus.

Samarineanul Milostiv
Samarineanul Milostiv provides social services to the poor and ill and religious services at the Iasi Clinic. It gives advice and counseling to patients and relatives.

Scope of Playdecide activity:
Tuberculosis is a significant public health concern in Moldova and Romania. TB incidence is higher in Balti and Iasi than their respective national averages. In 2008, TB incidence per 100000 was 120.5 in Moldova and 105.9 in Romania; and 154.1 in Balti and 127.2 in Iasi. TB mortality is considerably higher in Balti than in Iasi. In 2008, TB mortality per 100000 was 37.7 in Balti and 3.9 in Iasi.

Objectives:
1. To exchange ideas through meaningful dialogue among the 5 partner institutions to help reduce the high incidence of TB in Balti and Iasi;
2. To promote a better doctor-patient relationship in TB care;
3. To develop collaborative research on TB;
4. To involve diverse voices in Balti and Iasi to suggest solutions;
5. To hold the PlayDecide TB main activity in Balti on 1 June 2010;
6. To share the results in Romanian on the PlayDecide website;
7. To translate PlayDecide activity into English and share results on PlayDecide website;

Continuance of objectives:
1. With the lessons learned from the PlayDecide activity, further develop relations in cross-border collaboration on other common concerns.

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