Indonesia boosts TB detection in Papua with X-ray and housing renovations
“TB treatment is not sufficient with medication alone. Living environments must also be healthy so patients can recover optimally and avoid transmitting the disease to others,” he said when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He noted that the Indonesian government is implementing a range of tangible interventions aimed directly at communities to address infectious diseases in Papua.
The use of portable X-ray units for screening has been introduced as a solution to accelerate early TB detection.
Meanwhile, housing renovations for TB patients aim to improve ventilation and living conditions that may contribute to disease transmission.
Octavianus said that key challenges include low case detection rates and suboptimal contact tracing. In fact, most regions in Papua have yet to meet national TB case detection targets.
Nationally, TB healthcare service coverage has reached only 89.55 percent, highlighting persistent gaps in access and quality of care, particularly in geographically constrained areas.
To address these challenges, the government is promoting several strategic measures, including expanded mass screening and integrated TB contact tracing linked to the Free Health Check program.
Additional efforts include strengthening patient support systems to ensure full adherence to treatment, supported by real-time reporting integration and the involvement of community health workers, families, and local communities in patient care.
On the same occasion, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Akhmad Wiyagus emphasized the need to reinforce community-based interventions down to the village and sub-district levels.
“Community-based approaches, such as TB-alert villages and sub-districts, are key to expanding service coverage while raising public awareness on disease prevention,” he said.
The government is also enhancing public participation through patient assistance programs involving community health workers and families.
“We encourage regional governments to promptly establish Regional Action Plans and form TB Acceleration Teams, so that field interventions can be more targeted and measurable,” he added.
Papua Governor Mathius D. Fakhiri expressed the regional administration’s readiness to strengthen TB response efforts in coordination with the central government.
He also stressed the importance of sustained support, particularly in strengthening healthcare personnel and program financing.
“We hope that budget support and the strengthening of healthcare workers will continue to be increased so that services to the public can run optimally,” he said.
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Translator: Mecca, Azis Kurmala