Five years later Natiq is one of the prisoners undergoing treatment for TB in the Specialized Treatment Institution for Detainees with Tuberculosis (STIDT). Awaiting a court verdict, he has been receiving free-of-charge TB treatment in the STIDT since May. He has already been living with tuberculosis bacillus for over five years.

Today, all prisoners in Azerbaijan have access to free-of-charge, high quality modern diagnosis and TB treatment. As of July 31, 2005, over 6,900 TB-affected detainees have been provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the recommended DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course) course of treatment.

In 1995, the ICRC and the Ministry of Justice celebrated a ten year partnership in fighting against TB in prisons. On this occasion, a special tour of the STIDT was organized. Ambassadors of the United States and Turkey, representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe, UNICEF and other embassies and international organizations as well as government officials and journalists took part in the two-hour tour.

In May 1995, the Ministry of Justice and the ICRC decided to co-operate in setting up a pilot project in the Central Penitentiary Hospital in Baku. The objectives of this pilot project were to provide correct, complete and fully supervised treatment for 300 patients. The STIDT was rehabilitated in July 1998. With a 1,000 bed capacity, it has become the central TB treatment facility for the entire penitentiary system.

Nizami Guliyev, the director of the STIDT, said that about 500 prisoners are receiving treatment for the time being, of which there are three women. The ICRC has ensured an uninterrupted supply of first-line anti-TB drugs and laboratory re-agents from June 1995.

Guliyev stressed that there were 80 cases of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

"These patients can not be cured today, but there are hopes that they will be able to receive the necessary treatment in future," he said.

Although DOTS is the most effective strategy for preventing the development of MDR-TB, short-course chemotherapy does not cure the majority of MDR-TB cases. Correct treatment with second-line anti-TB drugs is not taking place in the prisons mainly because of its high cost and lack of control.

In order to tackle this problem, the ICRC helped the authorities in 2004 submit an application to the WHO Green Light Committee (GLC) to launch a DOTS-Plus pilot project in Azerbaijani prisons. This application was approved and will be financed by the Global Fund to fight TB, AIDS and Malaria. The ICRC will provide technical assistance for the implementation of the programme.

"As result of joint efforts, the mortality rate among new TB cases has been reduced drastically over the years, from 14 percent in 1995, to 12 percent in 1999 to three percent in 2004" said Fikret Mammadov, the minister of justice, during the ceremony devoted to last year's 10th anniversary of the TB programme in the prisons of Azerbaijan.

"Tuberculosis is one of the major public health problems Azerbaijan faces today; this is not only a prison problem. The poorest sectors of society are at greatest risk of being infected," said Mary Werntz, head of the ICRC delegation.

Although she stressed the fact that the epidemic was not under control, Mrs. Werntz said she was confident about future progress.

"I am optimistic today. Azerbaijan is ready and able to address this problem. What is required now is real support, both financial and political, from the government of Azerbaijan in addressing this problem."