Indonesian House of Representatives Emphasizes Importance of Eliminating Negative Stigma for TB Patients

Health workers conduct lung examinations on residents during free Tuberculosis (TB) screening at Gedung Sate, Bandung, West Java. (ANTARA FOTO/Raisan Al Farisi/foc)

MEMBER of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives Putih Sari said that in addition to efforts to accelerate the elimination of Tuberculosis or TB in Indonesia, it is important to eliminate the negative stigma attached to TB. This stigma, said Putih, is often the main barrier for people with TB to get treatment. She encouraged groups vulnerable to TB to get positive support so that they can recover quickly. Therefore, the parliament is trying to get full support from the international community to combat TB.

“To date, the Global TB Caucus has launched 60 National TB Caucuses worldwide and more than 2,500 parliamentarians from 150 countries have joined our network,” said he, who is also the Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific TB Caucus.

The Gerindra Party Faction politician also explained that the TB Caucus of the Indonesian House of Representatives will be part of the international network of parliamentarians who are members of the Global TB Caucus to strengthen political commitment across geographical regions.

“The Indonesian House of Representatives TB Caucus has the opportunity to increase policy effectiveness, strengthen supervision, and ensure that steps in the TB elimination program receive adequate resources,” he said.

Co-Chair of Asia Pacific TBC Caucus Warren Entsch hopes that the launch of this caucus will be a major achievement for Indonesia to combat TB and protect future generations from TB transmission.

“The caucus is just a platform, what matters is what you do with it. platform that. How do you use your voice to speak up for those who don’t have a voice to take action to support those who desperately need support,” he said.

Also read: Reducing the Stigma of Mentally Disordered Patients, Faculty of Nursing Sciences, University of Indonesia, Together with Cadres and Community Figures

Based on WHO Global TB Report 2023 data, there are 10.6 million people in the world who fall ill with TB. In addition, cases of death due to TB reached 1.3 million people. Meanwhile, TB is still a major health problem in Indonesia. Starting from this incident, Indonesia became one of eight countries that contributed two-thirds of global TB cases.

SITB data recorded an increase in TB case discovery reaching 820,789 cases in 2023, higher than the findings of 724,329 cases in 2022. Meanwhile, TB case notifications in Indonesia in 2024 as of June 2024 were 282,281 cases or 26% of the estimate that should be found. However, until the second quarter of 2024, not all TB cases found had undergone treatment.

Therefore, accelerating TB eradication is one of the main priorities for the president and vice president elect for the 2024-2029 period to improve the quality of life of the Indonesian people. The government is also targeting a reduction in TB incidence to 65 people per 100,000 population by 2030. (H-3)