Batam Health Office Intensifies TB Screening and Treatment in Prisons

The Batam City Health Office (Dinkes) in the Riau Islands is intensifying tuberculosis (TB) screening and treatment efforts, extending its reach into correctional facilities and detention centres across the city. Head of the Batam Health Office, Didi Kusmarjadi, stated that all inmates in prisons and detention centres undergo routine TB screening as part of early detection and prevention measures. “We have a memorandum of understanding with the detention centres and prisons for screening and treatment. Screening is carried out routinely for all residents, and for treatment, medication is supplied by the community health centre in the respective working area,” Didi said when contacted in Batam on Wednesday. He explained that healthcare services for inmates are provided through the community health centres in each working area. “For the Class IIB Women’s Prison in Batam and the Class II Special Child Development Institution (LPKA) in Batam, screening and treatment services are supported by the Baloi Permai Community Health Centre.” Meanwhile, for the Batam Detention Centre and the Class IIA Batam Prison located in the Barelang area, services are provided by the Sungai Langkai Community Health Centre. The Batam Health Office also involves 26 government and private healthcare facilities to support TB patient treatment through medication distribution. For example, the private Oto Medika clinic in Batam receives medication from the Lubuk Baja Community Health Centre. To strengthen diagnosis, Batam currently has several rapid molecular testing facilities, or TCM, spread across various healthcare facilities. These facilities are located at Embung Fatimah Regional General Hospital, Batam BP Hospital, Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, Elisabeth Batam City Hospital, the Class I Batam Environmental Health and Disease Control Technical Centre (BTKL), as well as the Tanjung Sengkuang, Sambau, Mentarau, and Baloi Permai Community Health Centres. “As of 20 June 2026, a total of 13,239 people have undergone TB screening. We found 1,870 positive cases, consisting of 1,839 drug-sensitive TB cases and 31 drug-resistant TB cases,” he said. Throughout June 2026 up to the 20th, 190 new positive TB cases were recorded in Batam City. The Health Office noted that the TB incidence rate in the area currently stands at 134 cases per 100,000 population. “Case finding efforts continue to be carried out by health facilities equipped with TCM, with treatment conducted from each respective working area of the community health centres. For vulnerable groups such as inmates in prisons and detention centres, we also ensure that patients receive medication until completion,” he concluded.