Namibia commemorated the World TB Day on 11 April in Luderitz under the theme, Yes! We can End TB. 
 
WHO Officer-in-Charge, Dr Mary Brantuo said that the theme conveys a message of hope that getting back-on-track, after the COVID-19 pandemic, to turn the tide against the TB epidemic is possible through high level leadership, increased investment, and faster uptake of new WHO recommendations.   Dr Brantuo said that Namibia ranks 11th amongst 30 high TB and TB/HIV high burden countries with an HIV co-infection rate of 31% among TB patients.  She further noted the progress in the past two decade with a reduction of 28% in TB incidence compared to 2015 surpassing the 20% reduction of the End TB milestone, decreased treatment gap from 42% to 25%, high treatment success rates of drug sensitive TB (88%) and drug resistant TB of 80%.  She praised the government for investing 36% of the TB control budget.
 
Honorable, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services said that the overall treatment rate of TB in Namibia is 87%, short of 3% of the 90% national target.  He said that the government is committed to eliminate TB and will ‘work tirelessly to ensure that every person who needs the services, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location, has access to quality TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services. We will address the social determinants of health that fuel the TB epidemic, including poverty, inequality, and lack of access to healthcare’. 
 
This year is a significant one as the Government of the Republic of Namibia endorsed the call to end the TB epidemic in the world and reaffirmed its commitments in line with the Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the fight against TB, Dr Shangula stated.  Holding true to this commitment, Namibia
•    developed the 4th National Strategic Plan for TB using People-Centered Framework;
•    included TB as a key health priority in the National Development Plans and other strategic frameworks;
•    established the Namibia Parliamentary Caucus on TB in addition to other national platforms, working groups and the Steering Committee on TB;
•    commenced the process of updating all national guidelines to be more responsive to the requirements of the End TB Strategy and to align with prevailing WHO recommendations and provide care at no cost to affected citizens;
•    continues to prioritize vulnerable populations for TB services, including those with special health needs; and
•    discovered more TB cases owing to renewed focus on case-finding strategies and closing the treatment gap, which has decreased from 42% to 25% in the last year.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services also launched the 4th National Strategic plan for Tuberculosis and Leprosy (2023/24-2027/28) in partnership with CDC, UNAIDS and WHO.