The Health, Population Control, and Family Planning Office (Dinkes P2KB) of West Sulawesi Province has established a strategic partnership with the West Sulawesi Regional Police (Polda Sulbar) to accelerate tuberculosis (TB) elimination efforts in the region. This step is a tangible implementation of the Integrated Community and Healthcare Worker Active Movement to Overcome Tuberculosis (Garatta TBC).
Data from the first semester of 2026 highlights the urgency of addressing this disease in West Sulawesi, where there are an estimated 5,504 TB cases, but only 1,743 cases had been detected as of June. In addition, the coverage of tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) for close contacts of patients remains very low, reaching only 365 out of a total of 7,249 individuals at risk.
The Head of the West Sulawesi Health Office emphasized that overcoming TB cannot rely solely on the health sector. The involvement of the National Police (Polri) is crucial, as the extensive Bhabinkamtibmas (Community Policing) network reaching down to the village level is expected to maximize the detection of new cases and contact investigations within communities.
On the other hand, the Head of the Medical and Health Department of Polda Sulbar, Dr. Elvis Jefferson, stressed the central role of hospitals as the front line in the TB management network. According to him, healthcare facilities must ensure that every identified patient receives continuous treatment until fully cured to break the chain of transmission in the community.
Both institutions have agreed to strengthen a data-based monitoring system. With increasingly solid cross-sector coordination, the local government is optimistic that the TB elimination target in West Sulawesi can be achieved more effectively and efficiently.
