Construction of 3 Million Houses Becomes Government's Strategy to Reduce Stunting and Tuberculosis

The government is positioning the construction of three million houses programme as a strategic instrument to reduce stunting and tuberculosis (TB) rates triggered by unhealthy residential environments. Head of the Housing Task Force and Presidential Special Envoy of the Republic of Indonesia, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, emphasised that decent housing is not merely a shelter need but a foundation for enhancing community health quality. “Unhealthy environments cause stunting because children’s health is disrupted. We know that many Indonesian families still lack decent housing, so children grow up in dense settlements with poor sanitation,” Hashim stated during the Launching of Housing Construction to Support the 3 Million Houses Programme on PT Kereta Api Indonesia’s asset land in the Manggarai Station area, Jakarta, on Monday. Hashim spotlighted the high prevalence of tuberculosis in Indonesia, closely linked to inadequate housing conditions. According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, Indonesia ranks second worldwide with an estimated 1.09 million TB cases and 125,000 deaths per year. This figure places Indonesia just below India in terms of the world’s highest TB prevalence. “This lung disease is caused by closely packed housing in slums, with poor sanitation and inadequate ventilation. The Minister of Health and Deputy Minister of Health have stated that many of our children and communities suffer from TB. This is a disaster for the Indonesian nation,” he asserted. These findings are reinforced by a free health examination programme that has reached 72 million Indonesians. The results show persistently high TB sufferers due to poor residential environment quality. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday (9/11/2025) stated that TB handling is one of three presidential health acceleration programmes under President Prabowo Subianto, given that the disease is projected to claim 125,000 lives in 2025. Acceleration of Stunting Reduction through Housing Improvements and Nutritional Interventions In various regions, efforts to reduce stunting are being intensified through a multisectoral approach. The Jayapura District Family Welfare Empowerment Movement Team (TP-PKK) distributed stunting intervention assistance for pregnant women and children in the Kaureh District. Jayapura District TP-PKK Chair Dewi Sartika Wonda explained that the aid includes two tonnes of rice and nutritious supplementary food packages distributed to posyandu in five villages, namely Soskotek, Umbron, Yadauw, Papua, and Sebu.