Health Ministry proposes Bogor as national model for integrated TB control
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health has proposed Bogor City as a national pilot area for an integrated tuberculosis (TB) control programme, responding to the municipal government’s success in forming TB-alert units across all 68 of its urban wards.
Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus expressed his appreciation during the launch of the Active Case Finding programme integrated with the SMART Free Health Check (CKG) in Bogor, West Java. “I heard that all urban wards in Bogor have become TB-alert wards. This is extraordinary and rare. Therefore, I want Bogor City to become a national model,” Benny said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He stated that TB control can no longer rely solely on waiting for patients to visit health facilities. Local governments, together with community health centres, local authorities, and community health workers, must proactively conduct active case finding to identify at-risk residents, especially those in close contact with positive TB patients.
Through integration with the SMART CKG programme, residents can undergo examinations closer to their homes. These checks include health screening, chest X-rays, and sputum tests if abnormalities are found. For high-risk individuals who are not yet suffering from active TB, the Ministry will provide Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT). “So far, we have focused on treating those who are already sick, but their close contacts are rarely examined. Rather than them becoming TB patients in two or three years, it is better we prevent it now through TPT,” he said.
As of 26 July 2026, the TB case detection rate in Bogor City had reached 71.9 per cent of the 90 per cent target. The Deputy Minister expressed hope that this massive active case finding effort could significantly reduce the national TB incidence curve by 2028 to 2029.
Bogor Mayor Dedie A. Rachim noted that although the city has a life expectancy above the national average, it still faces major challenges related to population density, which can accelerate the transmission of infectious diseases. “The presence of this TB elimination programme from the Ministry is very meaningful. We hope the benefits of this collaboration can be directly felt by the people of Bogor City,” said Dedie.
Meanwhile, Head of the Bogor City Health Office Erna Nuraeni explained that in 2025, Bogor City ranked fifth for the highest TB burden in West Java. A total of 10,577 cases were recorded, with an incidence rate of 955 per 100,000 population. “Interestingly, of the total patients treated in Bogor City, only 62 per cent are native residents. The rest come from Bogor Regency (35 per cent) and other areas (3 per cent). This makes Bogor City a TB referral centre, but on the other hand adds challenges in cross-regional patient monitoring,” explained Dr. Erna.
To suppress the rate of transmission, the Bogor City Government is targeting the implementation of integrated TB tracing from August to November 2026. The programme will target 23,200 people across 232 locations spread throughout the 68 urban wards.