Companies must ensure that workers with TB receive complete treatment, and also protect them from stigma that makes them shy or unable to complete treatment.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Director of prevention and control of infectious diseases at the Health Ministry, Imran Pambudi, has informed that companies have an important role in protecting tuberculosis (TB) patients from stigma.

"Companies must ensure that workers with TB receive complete treatment, and also protect them from stigma that makes them shy or unable to complete treatment," he added at a webinar on Monday.

The webinar themed "Indonesian Movement Against Tuberculosis in the Workplace" was organized by TB Indonesia in collaboration with the Health Ministry, Manpower Ministry, and health experts to ensure that workers can avoid TB and TB patients are protected in their workplace.

According to Pambudi, the government has made efforts for TB eradication, including through the Minister of Manpower's Regulation Number 13 of 2022 concerning Combating Tuberculosis in the Workplace.

"The regulations are complete, starting from the companies' efforts to find TB patients and ensuring workers with TB receive complete treatment," he said.

He then emphasized that anyone, regardless of age, economic status, or educational background, can contract TB. Currently, a significantly large number of workers have been exposed to TB, as per data.

"The data was obtained from companies' medical check-ups. Around 1.2–1.5 percent of those who had medical check-ups had X-rays showing signs of TB," Pambudi informed.

He underlined that TB control is not just the responsibility of the government. The private sector, which has authority over workers and can contribute to TB prevention, can play a role in it, too, he expounded.

"Undetected workers with TB can spread it to other people. We all know that TB can disrupt workers' productivity and the company's performance as well," he pointed out.

He expressed the hope that TB handling and increasing TB awareness in the workplace will become a shared responsibility of the health sector as well as the private sector, including Kadin (the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

The TB elimination movement has also been stipulated in Presidential Regulation Number 67 of 2021 concerning Tuberculosis Management.

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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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