Data to take centre stage in SA’s plan to end TB by 2035
Despite South Africa's high burden of tuberculosis, the National Department of Health says plans to end the epidemic remain on track.
The department's set to launch a live TB dashboard at the National Health Laboratory Service in Johannesburg on Friday.
The digital platform will provide TB testing data giving the public access to comprehensive data on the disease's prevalence in the country.
TB claims around 56 000 lives in South Africa annually.
According to the World Health Organisation, this includes 31,000 people living with HIV.
The department's Foster Mohale says the live dashboard is part of efforts to reduce TB incidence and mortality rates by 2035.
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He says they are taking lessons from the Electronic Vaccination Data System developed to manage the COVID-19 vaccination program:
This dashboard will play a significant role in tracking the country's progress towards NTB campaign's ambitious goal of testing 5 million people. The NTB campaign dashboard is also part of the country's advancement towards universal health coverage.
Mohale says the dashboard is a major step forward in data transparency and accountability:
Data-driven decision making has proven to be helpful to public health leaders in responding faster to emerging threats, allocating resources more effectively, and improving patient outcomes at every level of care.
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