House Commission IX Urges Nutrition Agency to Consider Free Meals for TB Patients

Wakil Ketua Komisi IX DPR Yahya Zaini hopes the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) can accommodate Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin’s proposal for tuberculosis (TBC) patients to become beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. Yahya assessed that fulfilling nutritional needs for TBC patients is important. “I appreciate the Health Minister’s request to provide MBG to TBC patients, because it will ease the burden of their illness,” Yahya told reporters on Thursday (25/6/2026). Yahya said the BGN is currently refocusing MBG beneficiaries by reducing the portion for students from affluent families and prioritising the 3B group: pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. He said one of MBG’s goals is to prevent the rise in stunting rates. “So prioritising the 3B group is very important. Out of 25 million 3B individuals, only 9.9 million or 38 per cent are MBG beneficiaries. This is still far from the set target,” he stated. The Golkar Party politician hopes the health minister’s proposal can be considered, especially given the high number of TBC cases in Indonesia. “I hope the Health Minister’s request can be accommodated by BGN, because TBC cases in Indonesia are very high. There are around 1 million cases and about 125,000 deaths each year, and Indonesia is the second country in the world with the most TBC sufferers after India. So handling TBC must be a priority, including fulfilling their nutrition,” he explained. Meanwhile, Commission IX member and NasDem Party DPP Chair Irma Suryani Chaniago assessed that the proposal for TBC patients to become MBG programme beneficiaries is reasonable. Irma said many TBC patients experience nutritional problems. “It must be acknowledged that TBC sufferers are generally patients with poor nutritional conditions,” she said. “Therefore, it is reasonable for the Minister to want TBC sufferers to become one of the MBG beneficiaries,” she continued. However, Irma reminded the government to pay attention to the programme’s distribution mechanism. According to her, beneficiary data must be accurate so that aid is well-targeted. “But it must be admitted that the distribution also needs to be considered. Especially if the patient data by name and address is not yet sufficiently good,” she said. Irma assessed that the MBG programme is a good and beneficial initiative. Irma said her party will continue to oversee the evaluation of MBG governance. “Commission IX, after the change in BGN leadership, has agreed to evaluate human resource management from the regions to the centre, regulate budget technical guidelines, and menu quality. Hopefully, after everything is evaluated, MBG will be better and more targeted,” she said. Previously, Budi Gunadi proposed that TBC patients be included as MBG programme beneficiaries. Budi said adequate nutritional intake for TBC patients can accelerate recovery. “From research results in international journals and also applied in India and China, people with TBC who are treated for six months to 12 months have weak immune systems. So if they can get sufficient or slightly more nutritional intake, it will strengthen and accelerate their recovery,” Budi said at the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (23/6). Budi revealed that two TBC patients die every five minutes in Indonesia. He admitted to having conveyed his proposal to BGN Head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang. “So we are talking about every five minutes, two people die from TBC in Indonesia. That is why I spoke with Ibu Nanik earlier about wanting to focus the distribution of MBG targets on whom,” Budi said. “She asked me, and I said, ‘Ma’am, MBG really helps me solve health problems because nutrition is a major risk factor, just like air pollution is a risk factor outside my authority that is now in your hands, but I really need it to be good’,” he continued.