The central government hosted the 8 Governors Coordination Forum to establish coordination and commitment to eliminate the disease among the eight provinces with the highest TB rates, namely Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated here on Tuesday that TB elimination is one of President Prabowo Subianto's flagship programs, as it claims more lives compared to COVID-19.
Ever since it was discovered, the disease has claimed 1 billion lives globally, and every year 1 million people die from it, Sadikin said.
The main challenge is detecting the cases. Of the estimated cases of 1 million annually, Indonesia only identified 47 percent of them, or 508,994, as of August 25, 2025. He stated that only Banten managed to achieve the targeted figure.
Of the cases found, 90 percent of drug-sensitive TB patients have partaken in medication, whereas the rate of medication for drug-resistant TB patients is only at 77 percent of the targeted 95 percent.
"However, the success rate of therapy is still below target. No province achieved 90 percent (therapy success rate) in terms of drug-sensitive TB therapy, and only North Kalimantan achieved 80 percent for drug-resistant TB (medication)," he noted.
Moreover, the coverage of TB prevention therapy is still low, only recorded at 8 percent of the targeted 72 percent as of August 2025. This means only 108,590 people living with TB patients received the therapy.
The funding has been allocated from many sources, such as the state budget, yet the progress is still low, he added. Thus, these conditions highlighted the urgency for integrated, massive collaborative efforts from stakeholders, education, and intervention from regional governments, Sadikin stressed.
According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, Indonesia is ranked second globally in terms of TB cases, with 1.09 million cases and 125 thousand deaths annually, he added.
On the same occasion, Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian called for regional governments' commitment to eliminating the disease. According to him, the target cannot be achieved by the health sector alone and needs to be backed by regional policies, resources, and efforts.
"The Home Affairs Ministry will ensure that TB elimination is set as a development target in each region," Karnavian said.
Thus, he urged regional governments to pursue some measures, such as formulating policies to achieve TB elimination and allocating ample funding for the initiative.
Moreover, improving primary healthcare facilities to strengthen early detection and treatment, as well as involving stakeholders in the disease elimination efforts.
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Reporter: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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