“Groups advocating for [tuberculosis (TB)] elimination are hailing a new Global Fund proposed strategy that could raise coverage of the disease’s treatment, but an [unnamed] expert warns it entails some risks,” Devex reports. The recommendation — “that countries with high TB and HIV co-infection applying for Global Fund support only put forward a single, joint proposal for both diseases” — could “allow a country to tackle both diseases on the same level … and can lead to savings,” according to the expert, Devex states. However, the expert “said if the proposal is not properly implemented and not taken seriously, or some institutions and organizations resist it, there will be no progress in significantly scaling up TB and HIV services,” which “could lead to co-infected patients continuing to struggle to access care from two ‘vertical’ structures, as it is in many situations currently,” the news service writes. “The strategy is expected to be part of the Global Fund’s new funding model, which is scheduled for full implementation by March next year,” according to Devex (Ravelo, 11/4).