Engaging all care providers through public–private mix (PPM) approaches and promoting the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care are among the core components of the Stop TB Strategy. The engagement of all relevant health-care providers is essential to meet the TB-related Millennium Development Goals and reach the targets for tuberculosis (TB) control set out in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006–2015. The Subgroup on Public–Private Mix for TB Care and Control (PPM Subgroup) has been instrumental in assisting countries to enhance collaboration among health-care providers in diverse settings. The PPM Subgroup was established by the Stop TB Partnership's DOTS Expansion Working Group in 2002. Its members include representatives from the private sector, academia, country programme managers, policy makers, field experts, international technical partners and donor agencies. Since its previous meeting (Nairobi, 12-14 September, 2006), the subgroup has been restructured and new terms of reference have been developed (Appendix 1) formalizing its structure and outlining the way forward. The previous core group has also been expanded to include new members.
