It is expected to ensure commitment by Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to help TB affected miners, families and communities in the region. The Heads of States, including President Ian Khama, approved and signed the declaration, during the 32nd Summit of SADC Heads of States that was held in Maputo, Mozambique over the weekend. According to government spokesperson, Jeff Ramsay, the declaration was drafted in March by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Stop TB Partnership, mining unions and experts in the region while the region's ministers of health endorsed it in April. The resolutions passed at the endorsement meeting included a call for a single database to track miners' employment and healthcare as they travel across the region; a request for SADC guidance on what activities are needed to eliminate TB among miners and how they should be implemented; and a request for more detailed analytic work on the economic impact of TB in the mining sector and the most effective solutions, according to the Stop TB Partnership website.
During the drafting of the declaration, Dr David Mametja, chief director of TB and Control Management at the South African Department of Health told a media workshop that as well as commitment from SADC countries, the declaration also hopes to harmonise policies dealing with TB issues in the region, as well as standardise referral systems between countries.
