Department of Program Support

The major role of the Department of Program Support is to provide technical support　and the latest information about TB control to health professionals at the health sections of the national and local government as well as medical facilities in Japan.

Consultation for health professionals
Technical advice on TB related issues is provided to health professionals working for medical facilities at training sites, seminars, and by e-mail. The number of consultations by e-mail from 2001 to 2003 was 505, 416 and 398 respectively.

Training program
Various training courses have been conducted targeting health professionals and clerical staff of the tuberculosis sections of public health centers, local government, and medical facilities in Japan since 1989.
1. Training course on clinical and program management of TB for medical doctors
2. Training course on TB program management for public health nurses and registered nurses
3. Training course on radiology and mammography for radiologists
4. Training course on bacteriological examination for laboratory technicians
5. Training course for clinicians and public health doctors in local government to become TB specialists
6. Training course on TB control for administrative staff in local government
7. Regional TB training courses, which are held nationwide annually by a representative prefecture in a region to distribute the latest information on TB control and medical care. The number of participants from 2001 to 2004 was 1458, 1180, 1572 and 1535 respectively.

Seminars and meetings
1. The International Tuberculosis Seminars are held annually on the latest topics of the year. The number of participants from 2001 to 2004 was 237, 241, 175, and 244 respectively.

2. The National Tuberculosis Control Promotion Conventions are held annually in order to share information and experience on domestic TB control activities. The number of participants from 2001 to 2004 was 183, 190 and 172, and 241 respectively.

3. In the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health, the activities of the Research Institute of Tuberculosis are displayed at the booth in including information on research progress and new strategies for TB control.

4. An ad hoc meeting to discuss tuberculosis issues is carried out at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health every year. The number of participants from 2001 to 2003 was 124, 141, 117, and 107 respectively.

Advocacy activities
The importance of TB control is promoted to the general population and health professionals in coordination with the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) Headquarters, and pamphlets and posters are produced as a part of advocacy activities.

Publications 1. An annual report on activities of the special project for area-specific TB problems is published and distributed to relevant organizations. 2. A newsletter on TB control program is released annually.

Hitoshi Hoshino, Keiko Masuda, Naomi Obara

The missions of the Division are planning and coordination for the activities of the Department and training for medical doctors working for tuberculosis control programs. The training course for clinicians was started in 2003 in order to provide state-of-the-art knowledge and skills on medical care for TB patients.

Noriko Kobayashi, Yoko Nagata

The Division provides technical support to public health nurses in health facilities and hospitals. The total number of participants between 2001 and 2003 was 1512, of which 224 were from hospitals. The number of participants has increased dramatically since the announcement of Japan’s version of the DOTS strategy by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor in 2000. Furthermore, the Division carries out research on effective training in order to successfully meet the needs of the participants. Research on effective support for patients to expand the Japanese version of DOTS is also conducted.

Yutaka Hoshino

The Division provides technical support to radiologists on technological issues in radiology and mammography through training and seminars.

The Division plays a major role in the planning and execution of the Annual Evaluation Conference on chest radiographs, which is the activity of the MMR Quality Assurance Committee organized by the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association Headquarters and its branches. The Division also provides technical advice on the production of the MMR vehicle named “Keirin-Go”, which is produced with the financial support of the Japan Keirin Association. The Division has provided technical support for the prevalence survey in Cambodia as a JICA consultant.

updated 2005/9/27