Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus on Monday to prioritize tuberculosis control efforts, a key government program, as Indonesia remains the world’s second-highest TB burden after India.
Speaking after the meeting at the presidential palace complex in Jakarta, Benjamin said Prabowo wants tuberculosis control treated as a national priority and a "quick win" of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, alongside the free nutritious meals program.
"We discussed how tuberculosis eradication can be improved. Handling TB cases is a main program, alongside free nutritious meals,” Benjamin said, adding the president sought his input as a lung specialist.
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Benjamin said Prabowo was concerned Indonesia still ranks second globally in tuberculosis cases after India and instructed the government to intensify efforts to sharply reduce infections by breaking transmission chains.
To support the effort, Benjamin said he has visited 12 provinces to promote tuberculosis control programs with regional leaders, stressing the need for a comprehensive and coordinated national approach.
Beyond tuberculosis, Prabowo tasked Benjamin with overseeing implementation of the free nutritious meals program, particularly its impact on reducing malnutrition and stunting, in coordination with the National Nutrition Agency.
Benjamin said improving nutrition and lowering stunting rates would strengthen Indonesia’s human capital, aligning with broader government goals such as people’s schools for low-income communities to improve education, health, and long-term productivity.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Cahya Sari, Martha Herlinawati Sim
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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