A country’s population health is important for social and economic productivity. A healthy population is associated with a high level of production, while a population that endures sickness and other health problems exhibit little productivity. Most countries consider health an essential component of development; this can be seen when these countries enact health-related policies (Li et al., 2020). Through health policies, governments can modify the healthcare system to meet the specific needs of the population. This discussion focuses on the role government plays in controlling tuberculosis as a public health issue.

            The government control the operation of healthcare systems; that include public health functions. The hierarchical levels seen in government decentralize to the lowest level of the community. Therefore, it is true to say that governments are structured in a hierarchy form, which suits the operations at the lowest level. The top management in a government forms the highest authority. All decisions concerning health, changes and policies are influenced by the highest authority (Li et al., 2020). Decentralization of responsibilities to the local levels ensures that community workers contribute immensely to the public health functions. The national, state and local governments work in conjunction to ensure effective service delivery to the citizens. Therefore, public health issue requires a collective effort, starting at the local levels advancing up to the top levels of the government. Sometimes, the local level requires direction from the top level of the government to make critical decisions.

            The national level of government is the highest rank and controller of public health functions and issues affecting the community. The topmost level contributes to policymaking that influences public health. While this level does not interact with the locals directly, their role in public health is crucial. The management protocol concerning public health issues requires a documented policy. Individuals responsible for policymaking must consider the specific needs of the population, including times of tuberculosis crisis. Enacted policies are designed to improve public health services to the community. Such policies may target certain populations and review services such as vaccination, medications and personnel trained to handle tuberculosis cases. Also, these policies may provide a protocol for reporting or surveillance of tuberculosis cases. In addition to improving the quality of public health services, enacted policies decentralize these services hence can reach individuals at the lowest level in the community. The functional structure of the national level of government should develop approaches to control the costs of health care to enable the citizens to access the services at an affordable cost. Enacted policies can specify subsidies on healthcare costs for specific groups of people such as the elderly, disabled and the vulnerable.

            The state-level of government work in collaboration with the national government to ensure the effective operation of public health. The link-up between the national and state levels of government play a key role in channelling healthcare resources to ensure better services to the public (Salunke & Lal, 2017). Healthcare services at the state level are controlled by provincial public health officers who spearhead vital activities in the state. The national government influences the health leadership at the state levels. For example, the national government appoints public health officials at the state level to ensure the effective operation of public health departments. According to Salunke & Lal (2017), policies enacted by the national government descends and influence functions of public health at the state level. This means the national level control public health functions at the state levels. If the policies are unfavourable, the states will equally have negative health experiences. However, if the policies promote public health operations, the states will equally have a positive experience. While state and national levels of government work hand in hand, the national level is more powerful in making decisions that affect public health. The states receive the authority of command from the national level on how public health resources are disseminated to the local citizens. The state can implement measures to control tuberculosis in the population. These can include mass education of the public about the prevention of tuberculosis.

The local level is the small unit in a country's government. Most people identify themselves with local leadership. The local level is under the leadership of a senior public health officer (Leider et al., 2018). However, there are many public health officers (from different regions) who work under the senior public health officer. Community service providers are responsible for unleashing public health services to the locals. In conclusion, the national, state and local levels of government work dependently to ensure effective public health services.