Manokwari (ANTARA) \u2013 The West Papua Provincial Government is\npreparing a task force to accelerate tuberculosis (TB) control and\nimprove case detection and treatment, particularly among children, where\ncoverage had reached only 41 per cent by September 2026.<\/p>\n
West Papua Regional Secretary Ali Baham Temongmere said in Manokwari\non Thursday that setting up the task force was intended to strengthen\ncross-sector coordination and ensure TB control was carried out\neffectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis task force must not exist only on paper. It needs an action\nplan, a budget and a regular meeting schedule,\u201d Ali Baham said.<\/p>\n
He said the task force was being established in follow-up to\nPresidential Regulation No.\u00a067 of 2021 on Tuberculosis Control and West\nPapua Governor Regulation No.\u00a037 of 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe programme\u2019s implementation and the task force\u2019s performance will\nbe evaluated regularly to ensure that regional agencies carry out their\nresponsibilities in line with their respective mandates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ali Baham said the estimated TB response target across West Papua in\n2026 was 3,063 cases, with children accounting for about 16 per cent, or\n489 cases.<\/p>\n
From January to September 2026, TB case detection and treatment\ncoverage stood at 60 per cent. Only 200 cases among children had been\ndetected, or about 41 per cent of the target.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is still a gap in detecting TB cases among children, which\ncould lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment,\u201d Ali Baham said.<\/p>\n
He said children generally contracted TB from adults in their\nimmediate surroundings. Other contributing factors included nutritional\nstatus, housing quality, poverty and limited access to healthcare.<\/p>\n
Combating the disease therefore required the involvement of various\ngovernment agencies, community organisations, religious and customary\nleaders, and development partners, down to village level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere may still be many children in West Papua who are ill without a\ndiagnosis or treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He instructed the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), the\nRegional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD) and the Health\nOffice to ensure TB-control programmes were included in regional\nplanning and budget documents for 2027.<\/p>\n
The Education Office is to make better use of schools, while agencies\nresponsible for women\u2019s empowerment, child protection and family\nplanning, as well as the Family Welfare Movement (PKK) and integrated\nhealth posts (posyandu), are to strengthen early detection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Social Affairs Office will integrate social protection for\npatients, the Village Community Empowerment Office (DPMK) will\nstrengthen health cadres, and the Public Works and Spatial Planning\nOffice (PUPR) will support the provision of healthy housing,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Ali Baham said the Population and Civil Registration Office\n(Disdukcapil) would ensure access to civil registration and health\ninsurance, while the Communications and Information Office (Diskominfo),\ntogether with the mass media, would expand public education on TB\nprevention.<\/p>\n
The provincial government is seeking support from the Indonesian\nMilitary and National Police to reach remote areas, as well as the\ninvolvement of religious and customary leaders in reducing stigma that\ndiscourages families from seeking examinations for their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cTB control programmes should also be integrated with HIV\/AIDS,\nmalaria and leprosy control, because these are connected in the delivery\nof health services,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/west-papua-provincial-government-prepares-task-force-to-accelerate-tb-control-1792068785", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }