Immigration and Corrections Ministry, Health Ministry Collaborate to Tackle TB in Prisons and Detention Centres

The Ministry of Immigration and Corrections (Kemenimipas) is collaborating with the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to tackle the spread of tuberculosis (TBC) in correctional facilities (lapas) and detention centres (rutan) across Indonesia. Minister of Immigration and Corrections Agus Andrianto and Minister of Health Budi Gunawan Sadikin reviewed the national kick-off for TBC screening and free health check-ups for inmates at the Class IIA Ngaseman Prison, Nusakambangan, Cilacap, Central Java, on Monday. Minister Agus Andrianto stated that this collaboration is crucial, considering TBC is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in Indonesia. According to the 2025 global tuberculosis data published by the WHO, Indonesia ranks second with the highest number of TBC sufferers after India. “This fact is very concerning; TBC cases in Indonesia account for up to 10 per cent of the total estimated global cases in 2024,” said Agus. The retired police general conveyed that the most worrying aspect is that Indonesia falls into two high-endemic categories, with an estimated range of 300 to 499 cases per 100,000 population. Meanwhile, Agus noted that the prevalence rate of TBC in prisons and detention centres in 2025 among inmates reached 3.64 per cent, or 7,792 active cases out of a total of 218,962 inmates. The latest data on TBC case prevalence in Indonesian prisons and detention centres as of March 2027 shows a rate of 0.54 per cent, with 1,464 cases found among 271,994 inmates. “This trend is indeed declining, but this is first-quarter data. Hopefully, it will continue to fall, especially with the current handling efforts,” said Agus. According to Agus, one of the causes of the high TBC prevalence in prisons and detention centres is the overcrowding situation exceeding capacity. “We all realise that TBC is an airborne disease. Hopefully, the second amnesty from the president can help address this,” he said. Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that the best health strategy is to keep people healthy rather than treating them when they are sick, as treatment at that point is already too late. “Inmates have the same rights as ordinary citizens to receive basic health services,” he said. He noted that tackling TBC is a priority acceleration programme for President Prabowo Subianto, as one million people in Indonesia contract TBC annually. Compared to the number of people entering prisons each month, which adds 2,000 individuals, there are 24,000 new inmates a year. “One million people in Indonesia contract TBC annually. The number of deaths each year is 126,000. In the five minutes I’ve been speaking here, two people have died. So do not underestimate TBC; it is contagious,” he said. Budi stated that Indonesia has treatment for TBC, and the key is to detect it promptly, treat it immediately, and ensure recovery. However, the problem is that most TBC sufferers go undetected and do not receive treatment. The high number of TBC cases in prisons and detention centres, according to him, is caused by several factors, including inmates living together in one room, sleeping in close proximity, lack of outdoor activities, and limited access for health workers to conduct screening. Therefore, Budi requested support from Kemenimipas to ensure that TBC screening conducted in 532 prisons and detention centres across Indonesia can be carried out effectively. “So that when detected, they are treated immediately, because they should recover and not transmit it to others. Thus, deaths from TBC can decrease significantly, and this is what the President wants,” said Budi.