Nepal introduces new costing tool to boost TB control

Kathmandu, Bagmati province - The National Tuberculosis Control Center (NTCC), under the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), with technical support from WHO Nepal, conducted a five-day hands-on training on the tuberculosis (TB) module of the WHO Integrated Health Tool (IHT) to support costing for the upcoming national strategic plan 2026-2031. The IHT provides a structured framework to assess costs, model health impacts, compare intervention scenarios and identify funding gaps across specific programmes or the broader health sector. Eighteen participants from MoHP/NTCC, WHO and partner organizations were introduced to the tool’s capabilities, which include a centralized and user-friendly platform with automated calculations. The tool is expected to enhance planning efficiency, improve resource allocation and strengthen service delivery. The workshop was conducted as part of the WHO PRIME-TB Initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.