On July 31, 2007 Foundation for Development of Ukraine held a press conference dedicated to the information campaign of the National Project "Stop Tuberculosis in Ukraine". The information campaign starts on August the 1st all over Ukraine.
 
The Project "Stop Tuberculosis" consolidates the efforts of all the stakeholders around the problem of tuberculosis in Ukraine. The project involves representatives of government, business, international and national non public organizations.
 
Director of the Foundation for Development of Ukraine Anatoliy Zabolotny advised the present participants on the main areas of activity of the Project "Stop Tuberculosis":
 
1.   Information campaign:
• Informing the population on the problem of tuberculosis in mass media, healthcare institutions and companies;
•  Actions promoting a healthy life style;
• Creating information resources: a national tuberculosis hot line, special site highlighting the problem of combating tuberculosis.
 
2.  Special projects:
• changing legal base on combating tuberculosis;
• creating national educational center for tuberculosis specialists;
• creating all Ukrainian anti tuberculosis sanatorium for psychological and social rehabilitation of children who took treatment against tuberculosis;
• supporting researches in the field of tuberculosis; holding scientific and practical conferences.
 
3.  Regional pilot program:
• Creating the system of program management, progress control, monitoring and result assessment in Donetskaya Oblast;
• Improving the quality (efficiency) of tuberculosis detection and stopping the spread of tuberculosis in the Oblast
• Improving the quality (efficiency) of tuberculosis diagnostics and treatment and ensuring their availability;
• Introducing the system of actions aimed at stopping TB spread and ensuring diagnostics and treatment of TB associated with HIV and chemically resistant TB. 
 
At the press conference Deputy Minister of Healthcare Valeriy P. IVASYUK described the epidemiological situation in the country: in 1995 Ukraine saw the epidemic of tuberculosis, which is spreading very fast. The government of Ukraine and namely the Ministry of Healthcare realizes the dreadful consequences of the tuberculosis epidemic in Ukraine. That’s why, to the words of the Deputy Minister of Healthcare Valeriy Ivasyuk, the government has adopted and is implementing the National Program on combating tuberculosis in 2007-2011. "Unfortunately, the scale of tuberculosis epidemic in Ukraine is so huge that the government cannot on their own control the epidemic spread and settle the most urgent issues connected with tuberculosis treatment and prevention. That’s why the initiative of Mr. Akhmetov and the objectives outlined by the Foundation for Development of Ukraine together with such partners as WHO, RATH, Red Cross and others are so important for the mutual efforts in combating tuberculosis epidemic in Ukraine", stated Mr. Ivasyuk.
 
Yuriy I. FESHCHENKO, Director of the National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology, stated: "The most important thing for Ukraine is to regularly inform the population on the issues of tuberculosis control and treatment and on the issues of a healthy life style. That’s why it’s really wonderful that the Foundation for Development of Ukraine is planning to carry out an international campaign within the next 5 years covering different target groups of the populations.
 
Igor PONAKEVICH, the CEO of the WHO Office in Ukraine noted that Ukraine is in second place in Europe after Russia as for the number of TB cases.  Epidemic TB figures in Ukraine by 10-12 times exceed TB figures in developed countries. The situation with combating TB is really poor in Ukraine: social and economic situation helps spread the disease; the health care system is declining; business circles with the exception of some business leaders, namely Mr. Akhmetov, do not participate in problem solving and the population does not have the responsible attitude towards their health. In Ukraine the scale of rapidly expanding disease, mortality and disability caused by it pose a real threat to national security.
The Project "Stop TB in Ukraine" is being implemented by the Foundation for Development of Ukraine founded by SCM Group in 2005. The project was launched in 2007 and is to last for 5 years from 2007 till 2011. The project budget is UAH 117 million hryvnias.