On March 6, ahead of International Women’s Day, a press briefing was held in Kyiv (Ukraine) to address issues related to women's access to healthcare services. During the event, organized by AHF Ukraine, the Executive Director of TB Europe Coalition, along with colleagues from Positive Women and AHF Ukraine, discussed key challenges, including:
What barriers prevent women from seeking treatment Why the healthcare system fails to consider gender-specific needs How the war has affected access to treatment for HIV-positive womenExperts emphasized the need to integrate gender equality in medical education, adopt gender-sensitive approaches in healthcare service delivery, and ensure timely and unrestricted access to treatment.
A key focus of the briefing was the importance of gender-sensitive approaches to TB treatment. A study conducted by TBEC revealed that despite national standards recommending gender-sensitive counseling, these recommendations are rarely implemented in practice.
"Our research shows that for most healthcare workers, the concept of gender-sensitive counseling remains new and not fully understood. They lack sufficient knowledge and practical skills to apply these approaches in their work. One of the key takeaways from our study is the urgent need to integrate gender equality training into systematic educational programs for healthcare professionals — not just fragmented training sessions, but a comprehensive curriculum that fosters a deep understanding of gender-sensitive healthcare approaches. Without this, ensuring equal access to medical services and effectively combating tuberculosis will not be possible" — Yuliia Kalancha, the Executive Director of TBEC.
Watch the press briefing: https://youtube.com/live/pkd1qQKcZAY (English) or https://www.youtube.com/live/JDa7KNjTk3A (Ukrainian).
The full study report, "Study of Gender, Equity, and Inclusion Aspects at the Workplace Among Healthcare Workers Engaged in Tuberculosis Response", conducted in 2024 by TBEC with the support of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, will soon be available on the TBEC website 
https://tbcoalition.euThe "Study of Gender, Equity, and Inclusion Aspects at the Workplace Among Healthcare Workers Engaged in Tuberculosis Response" was conducted with financial support from the Stop TB Partnership/UNOPS.
