On March 24, 2026, at the World Tuberculosis Day celebration, Dr. Maxo Luma, Executive Director of Partners In Health Liberia (PIHL), delivered a powerful and urgent message that demanded attention and action. “It is always an honor to join you in the name of solidarity, advocacy, and shared commitment in the fight against this common enemy that we call Tuberculosis,” he declared, setting the tone for a day centered on hope, justice, and determination.
Despite being preventable and curable since the 1950s, tuberculosis continues to devastate lives worldwide, claiming over 150 million lives to date. In Liberia alone, more than 400 deaths occur annually—a grim reminder that without adequate attention and funding, this disease remains a deadly threat. Dr. Luma’s statement cut through the statistics: “I refuse to believe those people died of TB; they died of injustice.”
He said this stark reality underscores how TB disproportionately affects the most vulnerable—those grappling with poverty, malnutrition, and social exclusion. Adding to the complexity, approximately 10% of TB patients in Liberia are also co-infected with HIV, creating a dual health crisis that worsens patients’ outcomes and strains health care resources.
Dr. Luma urged the audience to see TB not merely as a medical condition but as an issue of equity and justice. “One thing I know for sure,” he said, “is that where the resources are, isn’t where TB is; and where TB is, is where we struggle to find the resources.” This divide highlights a critical barrier to progress—while advancements in diagnostics and treatments have improved detection rates over the past four years, a global commitment to eradicate TB remains insufficient.
Dr. Luma also sounded the alarm about the recent decline in global health funding, warning that without renewed focus and strategic shifts, the fight against TB will falter. “We must move beyond fragmented, vertical disease programming,” he emphasized, advocating for the strengthening of community-based integrated primary care systems. Such systems not only enhance TB detection but also improve management of other prevalent diseases, creating a holistic approach to health that better serves the community.
Investments, he insisted, must prioritize joint TB-HIV programming, innovative diagnostic tools, and crucial social support systems. These elements are indispensable to achieving successful patient outcomes and ultimately ending the TB epidemic. “Let us not only commit to doing what it takes to end TB but to end TB through dignified, high-quality, person-centered care,” Dr. Luma implored his audience.
Partners In Health Liberia’s Executive Director, Dr. Maxo Luma, delivers the keynote address for World TB Day in Monrovia. Photo by Albert Lorenzo /PIH.
His closing words struck a resonant chord: “Ending TB is not only a public health priority – it is a moral imperative, grounded in human rights, social justice, and global security.” As his message echoed through the crowd, it was clear that the path to ending tuberculosis lies not just in medicine but in collective action, equity, and unwavering solidarity.
Dr. Maxo Luma’s clarion call on World TB Day 2026 is a defining moment—one that challenges governments, organizations, and individuals alike to rise together and finally turn the tide against tuberculosis.
