The new strategic plan for health introduced by South Africa has been appreciated by many, terming it as forward thinking of the nation. There are many reforms under this plan which includes treatment of TB alongside HIV. It is hoped that the four-year plan would have three million South Africans on ARVs by 2015.

The previous five year plan did not include the treatment of TB and this new strategy has shown the commitment of the country to fight against TB. There are many civil society organizations, academics and government departments who have welcomed this move. South Africa is the third largest country in the world with TB patients. The number of cases has increased almost 400% in last 15 years. This is a very worrying scenario and steps like these would ensure that the number goes down gradually.

Although there have been some criticism terming it as a very late initiative, it does not hide the fact that the government is trying hard to tackle the tuberculosis as seriously as it’s trying in case of HIV. John Heinrich, Chief Executive of the SA National Tuberculosis organization, acknowledged that the treatment of TB and HIV cannot be looked at separately.