The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia has set the management of Tuberculosis (TB) as a national priority for 2026. Deputy Minister of Health, Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, emphasized that the government is currently intensifying prevention strategies through comprehensive tracing of all family members and close contacts of patients confirmed positive for TB.
To support this program, the government has prepared a network reaching all corners of the archipelago, from Aceh to Papua. A total of 16,000 health cadres have been deployed to serve approximately 80,000 villages across Indonesia. This step is crucial in breaking the chain of transmission at the community level while ensuring patients receive medical care as early as possible.
Reflecting on the healthcare model in China, the Ministry of Health plans to strengthen medical infrastructure at the Puskesmas (community health center) level. This strengthening includes the provision of modern diagnostic support tools, such as X-Ray technology, which aims to improve the accuracy of lung disease detection at basic healthcare facilities so that patients do not have to be referred to advanced hospitals.
Furthermore, Deputy Minister of Health Benny highlighted the adverse impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) triggered by air pollution and smoking habits. In addition to reducing the public's quality of life, the financial burden of lung disease treatment covered by BPJS Kesehatan is considered very large, given that the duration of treatment must often be carried out for life.
