The second Core Group (CG) meeting of the Global Drug-resistant TB Initiative (GDI) was held on 27 October 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. All members of the CG, except for the SEA rGLC chair, attended the meeting, along with observers from the Global Laboratory Initiative (GLI), Global TB Drugs Facility (GDF), Global Fund (GF), Infection Prevention and Control (IC) sub-group and the USAID. The objectives of the meeting were:
- To follow up on recommendations and action points agreed upon during 1st GDI CG meeting and subsequent monthly teleconferences
- To provide an update on progress in global scale up of MDR-TB services and care
- To provide an update on the progress of the respective GDI Task Forces, and the request of the Infection Control (IC) sub-group
- To strengthen communication within GDI, and between the GDI and partners including the GF
- To discuss the GDI "Business Plan" and the work plan for 2014-15.
The participants were briefed about the activities of the GDI Secretariat since the first CG meeting in May 2014, as well as the progress made by the three taskforces formed after the first CG meeting.
A joint session of the GDI and GLI CGs discussed the ways forward to narrow the gap between the diagnosis and enrolment of MDR-TB cases globally. Further discussions will be held to finalise a number of joint GDI and GLI activities for 2015. The joint session was also addressed by Dr Mario Raviglione, Director GTB/WHO
The GDI CG members unanimously agreed to the movement of the IC sub-group under the GDI "umbrella".
Initial discussions on the contents of the GDI "Business Plan" were held. The CG members agreed that scope of the plan should be global in nature, and that the plan should build on the earlier transition framework developed in 2011. A tentative plan was made for a meeting of a small group of CG members early next year to draft the GDI document, which will include budget estimates for the global scale-up of MDR-TB services and care.