Devex: Opinion: TB, NCDs, and resilient health systems for all
Mandy Slutsker, policy and advocacy manager for ACTION at RESULTS and co-chair of the TB High-Level Meeting Civil Society and Affected Communities Advisory Panel, and Aaron Emmel, manager of global health advocacy initiatives for the American Academy of Pediatrics and co-chair of the Global Health Council’s NCD Roundtable

“The United Nations will host two high-level meetings this fall on tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases, which are meant to spur new action around both global threats. Hopefully, the meetings will also be used to highlight the numerous connections between TB and NCDs. … At a basic level, countries of people living with or at risk of TB or NCDs need the same thing: Resilient, sustainable health systems that meet the needs of their populations, including the most vulnerable. … In advance of the high-level meetings in September, we call on heads of governments and other high-ranking officials to make commitments and support global plans to reduce the unacceptably high tolls that NCDs and TB exact on health, well-being, and economic growth around the world. We urge participants to take the opportunity to highlight the many connections between NCDs and TB. This is a seminal moment: How policies for children and other vulnerable populations fare at both events will reveal our collective commitment to health equity” (9/17).