The Diplomat: Time to End Tuberculosis in Asia — and the World
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO Southeast Asia

“The drive to end tuberculosis (TB) as a public health threat by 2030 has reached a tipping point. … In TB-affected countries, including those of the Southeast Asian region, domestic funding for TB programs has increased dramatically. … [T]hat support will be tested by the willingness of governments and their representatives throughout the world to get on board and match national, regional, and global momentum with actionable assistance. … September’s High-Level Meeting on TB, occurring alongside the U.N. General Assembly, is an opportune time for the global community to do just that: recognize, appreciate, and honor (via quantifiable assistance) the commitment to ending TB that has been expressed and pursued daily in TB-affected countries across the world, and which was reiterated once again in New Delhi this week. Indeed, it is an opportune time to demonstrate the full power and potential of global health diplomacy, not only as a means of strengthening the bonds between emerging and developed economies, but of bringing real change to the lives of millions of people and, in the process, creating a healthier, more prosperous, and secure world…” (3/16).