"The ministry encourages local governments to continue to increase their commitment to accelerating TB control," said Nancy Dian Anggraeni, the ministry's assistant deputy for disease control and management, in Jakarta onFriday.
Anggraeni remarked that the ministry is also continuing to intensify integrated advocacy and assistance activities for the seven priority provinces of West Java, East Java, Central Java, North Sumatra, Jakarta, Banten, and South Sulawesi with the highest TB burden.
The integrated advocacy and assistance program was implemented along with the Ministry of Health; Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (PDTT); the Cabinet Secretariat; the Ministry of National Planning and Development (Bappenas); and several non-government partners, she remarked.
Anggraeni explained that the integrated advocacy and assistance aims to encourage regional governments, especially the seven priority provinces, to set TB disease as one of the priorities in their Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) or Regional Work Plan (RKPD).
"In addition, the village government is also encouraged to allocate village funds to handle TB cases," she remarked.
The Coordinating Ministry for PMK has also encouraged local governments at the provincial and district or city levels to form a Team for the Acceleration of TB Control and to encourage the involvement of all related sectors, she remarked.
The ministry's expert staff for sustainable development, Agus Suprapto, stated that the community must play an active role in TB alleviation.
Suprapto noted that the community can play a role in finding TB cases in their surroundings and supporting the tuberculosis screening program.
"For example, people who have symptoms, or family members who have symptoms, can play an active role by checking themselves or their family members at the nearest health facility," he stated.
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Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Resinta S
Editor: Anton Santoso
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