Today, South Africa took a significant step in its fight against tuberculosis (TB). The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, launched a public-facing TB dashboard. This web-based platform has been created as part of efforts to reduce TB incidence and mortality in South Africa by 2035. The dashboard will play a significant role in tracking the country’s progress toward the End TB Campaign’s ambitious goal of testing five million people.
The dashboard, developed through collaboration among various stakeholders, including the National Department of Health (NDoH), the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), provides real-time TB testing data from across the country. This platform will provide policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the public with access to accurate information to support timely decision-making and improve health outcomes.
The dashboard presents TB testing data by province, district, age, and sex through an interactive, user-friendly interface. By consolidating national laboratory data, the platform will enable early detection of TB cases and help identify regions that require intensified testing and treatment. The launch of this dashboard marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and data-driven action in public health.
Minister Motsoaledi lauded the launch of this platform, stating that, “This dashboard is designed to be a real-time window into the data collected for TB monitoring. It’s a vital window through which we can support and check progress. It is a powerful investment towards saving lives.” Prof. Adrian Puren, NICD Executive Director, echoed this sentiment: “The TB dashboard demonstrates public health surveillance in action. The main aim of this dashboard is to showcase live tracking of TB testing in the country, as it shows collected data. It demonstrates the power of institutional collaboration and working together to end TB.”
According to the NDoH, despite South Africa’s high TB burden, the country remains on track to meet its End TB goals by 2035. The dashboard represents a new era of transparency and collaboration, putting reliable information into the hands of every South African, while ensuring that each test, diagnosis, and intervention brings the nation one step closer to ending TB for good.
The NHLS Chief Operating Officer, Prof. Peter Meyer, said: “Our main goal is to reduce the TB numbers; we are excited by the way forward through the dashboard. This is a great collaboration between the NHLS, NDoH, and the NICD through the TB centre in working together to end TB.”
The initiative also builds on lessons learned from the Electronic Vaccination Data System developed during South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. As part of the country’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage, the dashboard demonstrates how data-driven tools can enhance health system efficiency, guide resource allocation, and strengthen patient care.
In conclusion, Minister Motsoaledi emphasised that the TB dashboard “stands as a powerful reminder that what gets measured gets done. TB is, at its core, a disease born of neglect, and neglect is a choice.” He urged South Africans to take collective responsibility and refuse to “turn a blind eye to TB, affirming that together, we have the power to end TB in our lifetime”.
