Citing data from the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, Indonesia is ranked second highest in terms of TB cases and deaths. The condition is concerning, he said, hence it calls for everyone's attention.
"Please, this (data) should serve as a sign that TB elimination needs to be everyone's attention and priority, from all regions," the minister said in a TB elimination coordination meeting here on Monday.
President Prabowo Subianto has expressed his concern about the situation, to the point that the president tasked the Coordination Minister of Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Pratikno, with leading coordination to address the issue, Karnavian elaborated.
Regional governments' active participation can push for better efforts of TB elimination, he said. The minister is confident, since it has been proven during the COVID-19 pandemic that cross-sectoral collaborative efforts have successfully kept the situation under control.
"This TB issue, the key (to resolving) is one, fellow regional leaders must be serious about this, make this a priority," he stressed.
He urged regional governments to create TB elimination units in each district, city, and provincial scope, and have the units carry out analysis and evaluation on a regular basis so the situation can be under control.
Moreover, he has also given a directive to the ministry's director general of regional administration Safrizal Zakaria Ali and the Health Ministry's director general for disease prevention and control Murti Utami to lead TB elimination's technical aspects.
A guideline formulated by the Home Affairs Ministry and the Health Ministry will outline the information and measures that will be taken to eliminate the contagious disease, he said.
"Like keeping inflation under check. Which area has high, low cases, measures taken, whether screenings have been carried out or not, and which region does most screenings," he said.
Regions with the best coverage and rate of TB handling will be awarded. Moreover, progress of TB elimination will be reported to the public.
On Friday, the Health Ministry confirmed it had identified some 600,000 cases of TB as of September 2025. This number represents 55 percent of the targeted 1,090,000 cases set for 2025.
The ministry aims to identify some 981 thousand cases by the end of 2025, such as through screenings and active case finding.
Moreover, they also pursue other measures to eliminate the disease, such as by establishing One Stop Service to ensure treatment is delivered immediately after one is identified with TB, TB-handling-ready villages, and weekly monitoring of TB handling with stakeholders.
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Reporter: Fianda Sjofjan Rassat, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Arie Novarina
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