PRESS RELEASE
SAARC Regional Workshop on Scaling Up Activities for Improving Case Finding for TB and HIV/AIDS Begins in Islamabad – Islamabad, Pakistan | 12–14 October 2026
The SAARC Regional Workshop on Scaling Up Activities for Improving Case Finding for Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS commenced today, 12 October 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. The three-day workshop brings together officials from the SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre (STAC) and Pakistan in person in Islamabad, while representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka are participating virtually.
The workshop aims to strengthen regional collaboration and accelerate efforts to improve the identification of people affected by TB and HIV/AIDS across the SAARC region. Key areas of focus include reviewing the regional disease burden, assessing case detection gaps, and identifying strategic interventions to strengthen early diagnosis and ensure timely linkage to appropriate treatment and care.
Inaugural Session and Regional Overview
The inaugural session was graced by Dr. Abdul Wali Khan, Deputy National Coordinator, Common Management Unit for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, Pakistan. Dr. Rabeya Sultana, Deputy Director, STAC, delivered the welcome remarks in person, while Dr. Chuman Lal Das, Director, STAC, extended his welcome virtually to the participants.
The opening technical sessions featured presentations by STAC officials providing an overview of the TB and HIV/AIDS burden across the SAARC region, existing case detection gaps, and key regional priorities for scaling up case-finding activities. The sessions highlighted the importance of strengthening early diagnosis, expanding access to diagnostic services, and intensifying collaborative efforts to bridge the gap between estimated disease incidence and reported cases.
Country Experiences and Strategic Priorities
The programme also featured virtual country presentations from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The presentations outlined the respective Member States’ TB and HIV/AIDS situations, major challenges and gaps in case detection, and proposed strategies to strengthen case identification and improve access to diagnosis, treatment and care.
The country presentations provided a valuable platform for sharing national experiences, identifying common challenges, and exploring practical approaches that could be adapted to the diverse epidemiological and health-system contexts across the region. Discussions underscored the need for context-specific interventions, strengthened health-system responses, and sustained cooperation among Member States to improve case finding and reduce the number of people who remain undiagnosed.
Strengthening Regional Cooperation
The workshop serves as a platform for SAARC Member States to exchange experiences, share promising practices, and identify priority actions to strengthen TB and HIV/AIDS case finding. The deliberations over the three days are expected to foster a shared understanding of regional and country-specific challenges and support the development of actionable strategies to improve case detection and linkage to treatment and care.
Through strengthened regional collaboration and coordinated action, STAC and the SAARC Member States reaffirm their commitment to accelerating progress towards TB elimination and improving HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care outcomes across the region.
