Indonesia Takes Center Stage in Global Effort Against Tuberculosis

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin showcased Indonesia’s strides in early tuberculosis (TB) detection and treatment during the 37th Stop TB Partnership (STP) Board Meeting held in Brasilia, Brazil, from February 6 to 8.

In a written statement from the Ministry of Health, Minister Sadikin outlined the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a decline in TB detection from 500,000 to approximately 300,000 cases. However, he expressed optimism, stating that Indonesia’s early detection system is on the path to recovery, with 700,000 cases identified in 2022 and 800,000 in 2023.

Committing to further improvements, Sadikin affirmed Indonesia’s goal to detect 900,000 TB cases by 2024, addressing the estimated 1 million TB cases in the country and ensuring comprehensive treatment for all patients.

Acknowledging Indonesia as the country with the second-highest burden of TB cases globally, Sadikin emphasized the commitment to providing shorter TB treatment regimens, fostering community collaboration, and implementing innovative financing mechanisms for TB services.

To amplify community involvement, the Health Ministry is actively engaging the “TBC Army,” a trained group of TB survivors assisting in the detection and monitoring of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients.

Innovations in TB diagnosis include the production of five polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based TB detection kits, widely used across 1,000 laboratories in Indonesia. Accelerating precision medicine, Indonesia has established a biomedical and genomic sciences initiative, incorporating genome sequencing on MDR-TB samples for enhanced surveillance.

Indonesia’s dedication to accessibility is evident in being among the first in Asia to employ BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) and BPaLM (bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin) in multidrug-resistant TB treatments, significantly shortening the treatment duration from 9-11 months to six months, utilizing oral regimens rather than injections.

The commitment extends to supporting operational research on shorter treatment regimens for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB), furthering Indonesia’s position as a leader in the global fight against TB.

Minister Sadikin highlighted the economic impact of eliminating TB, underscoring the collaboration with communities to screen 2.2 million high-risk individuals. As Indonesia forges ahead in its battle against TB, its contributions to innovative solutions and treatment regimens resonate globally, reinforcing the nation’s commitment to a TB-free future.