From diagnosis to recovery: a changing experience of TB

A tuberculosis diagnosis no longer carries the same uncertainty and despair it once did.

Modern diagnostics methods allow most people in Belarus to be diagnosed within a single day, with treatment starting promptly - often on an outpatient basis - supported by digital tools and patient-centered care.

In 2025, 1,199 people in Belarus were diagnosed with tuberculosis. Most patients are men, predominantly urban, and nearly 60% of patients are of working age - between 40 and 63.

Patients are no longer left alone to navigate the disease. Alongside medical treatment, they receive psychological and social support - from counselling to case management - helping them stay on treatment and maintain stability in their daily lives.

Challenges remain. Stigma has not disappeared entirely, and treatment - especially for drug-resistant TB - still requires discipline and support. But the trajectory is clear: TB is no longer a life-defining condition.

A development priority: Belarus’s path to TB elimination

In Belarus, ending TB is not only a health objective - it is a development priority embedded in national strategies and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Over the past decade, TB incidence has declined nearly threefold, mortality has reached historic lows of 0.9 per 100,000, and treatment success rates continue to improve, including for drug-resistant TB which exceeds 80%. 

Belarus’s National Sustainable Development Strategy sets ambitious targets: reducing TB incidence by 80% and mortality by 90% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels. These gains are underpinned by a commitment to universal access to care, ensuring that no one faces financial hardship due to treatment.

The last mile: building systems and partnerships that deliver results

UNDP supports Belarus in building transparent and resilient systems that are required for TB elimination. 

A strong national response depends on effective coordination. The Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), supported by UNDP, plays a central role in guiding Belarus’s response to TB. It brings together government, civil society, and development partners and monitors the effectiveness of national responses to HIV and tuberculosis.

In partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNDP supports the Ministry of Health with access to quality TB medicines and diagnostics.

Between 2023 and 2024, UNDP procured more than 7,500 packages of TB medicines and more than 2000 diagnostics kits, supporting TB prevention and treatment. Looking ahead, Belarus is on the way to nationwide transition to all-oral treatment regimens - reducing treatment duration and eliminating the need for injectable drugs.

More than 1,000 devices support video-observed treatment, allowing patients to take their medication at home while remaining under the remote supervision of healthcare providers.

Efforts are underway to bring services closer to people who may otherwise face barriers to diagnostics – elderly people, people living in remote areas, people with disabilities. Mobile diagnostic units will provide screening and preventive services, offer information and counselling, and, where needed, support patients in accessing specialized care.

This work helps to ensure that patients receive the medicines when they need them.

Ending TB requires reaching people beyond the health system. 

UNDP works with national partners and civil society organizations to strengthen community-based responses that support patients throughout their treatment journey. These efforts focus on psychosocial support and counselling, treatment adherence support, outreach to vulnerable and high-risk populations, reducing stigma and discrimination. 

Looking ahead: advancing toward TB elimination

In the coming years, UNDP will support Belarus to move closer to TB elimination:

• Scaling up innovative treatment approaches
• Expanding digital monitoring and data systems
• Strengthening outpatient, patient-centered care
• Increasing focus on prevention, including latent TB
• Strengthening institutional sustainability

By building resilient health systems, enhancing coordination, and supporting sustainable access to care, UNDP helps Belarus secure lasting impact in the fight against TB.