The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2025 is not only about discussions, but also about political decisions. That is why an accompanying event at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, ‘Access to TB medicines in Europe – from political will to action,’ became an important part of the conference.
The main goal of the event was to talk not only about political will, but also about real actions to overcome systemic barriers to access to tuberculosis treatment in Europe.
One of the opening speeches at the event was a personal testimony from someone who had gone through tuberculosis. That is why the voice of Olya Klymenko, Development Director at TBPeopleUkraine, was heard in the Danish Parliament. Today, she defends the right of every person to access treatment, support and protection without fear and stigma.
She spoke from the perspective of someone for whom tuberculosis is not an abstract statistic, but a point of no return in life:
«This was not a path I chose. It began on the day I was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Like many others, I knew almost nothing about TB because we still allow ourselves to think that “it happens to someone else”.
In her speech, Olia talked about how she experienced humiliation, social isolation, job loss and the severe side effects of treatment. Her recovery took years — not only physically, but also psychologically, after a deep depression.
She spoke with particular pain about her daughter. About how her child went through this journey with her — in a system that saw a ‘TB case’ but did not see a person. This trauma, she said, has stayed with her daughter to this day. And perhaps the most frightening thing for any parent is the realisation that you cannot protect your own child, that you are powerless at that moment.
This theme was continued by a symbolic moment with T-shirts featuring children’s drawings. Olya thanked the participants for their solidarity on International Children’s Day and said that these drawings were created by children who had completed their treatment thanks to comprehensive support, including public support. At the same time, she stressed that today these opportunities are under threat due to political decisions — and therefore the future of other children is also at risk.
Olya moved from personal stories to the systemic dimension of tuberculosis. She stressed that despite advances in medicine, millions of people still do not have access to innovative treatment, and social, psychological, material, legal and political barriers turn treatment into a struggle for survival.
She also thanked the Danish people for their support of Ukraine, emphasising that political decisions have a very personal dimension. Despite the war, she consciously chooses to remain in Ukraine with her children every day because it is her home.
For our organisation, participating in such an event at the level of the national parliament of an EU country is a recognition of the voice of the TB-affected community, an opportunity to bring real-life experiences directly to policymakers, and another step towards a fair, people-centred response to tuberculosis in Europe.
We sincerely thank the organisers of the side event — Médecins Sans Frontières / MSF, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, AIDS-Fondet and the Danish Parliamentary Network on TB/HIV — for creating this important space for dialogue.
Special thanks to Olia Klymenko for inviting us to speak at the Danish Parliament and for the opportunity to bring the voice of the people directly to those who make decisions.
