The commonly used directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) has been employed in many areas of the world to tackle tuberculosis, which killed 1.8 million people globally in 2008 according to the World Health Organization.

“DOTS has been applied in government-run health institutions, but for private hospitals and private practices, the [application] of DOTS has not been optimal," Endang said in Jakarta during the commemoration of World Tuberculosis Day, which falls on March 24.

Treating tuberculosis with DOTS involves six months of treatment.

Last week, Association of Patients and People Concerned with Tuberculosis chairwoman Retnowati said that many workers at private hospitals were unfamiliar with DOTS.

“I visited large hospitals and asked doctors who ran private practices. They said they did not know what DOTS was. What are the patients supposed to do? Receive medieval treatment?” Retnowati said.
She said that using outdated treatment could involve longer periods of treatment, which could last years.

Retnowati, a former tuberculosis patient herself, said doctors running private practices, as well as private hospitals, should inform patients of the possible cheaper, or even free, treatment available at government-run public health centers.

“My own case was diagnosed at a private hospital. I didn’t know that free treatment existed. The doctors should tell the patients that they can choose to be treated for a week [by the doctor] and after that, they have the option of going to a public health clinic to receive free treatment,” Retnowati said.

She added that patients often consulted private practitioners because in some regions they outnumbered health centers, which are usually located in each subdistrict.

Endang agreed with Retnowati’s analysis, saying “We will contact the Indonesian Doctor’s Association [IDI] and send them information brochures. We will also contact the Indonesian Medical Council to ensure that their curriculum includes the government’s health programs, so after doctors graduate, they will conduct practices that are in line with our programs”.

The government has targeted slashing the prevalence of tuberculosis in half, from 443 out of 100,000 citizens in 1990, to 222 by 2015.

The prevalence rate in 2009 was 244 out of 100,000.

With 5.8 percent of the world’s tuberculosis cases, Indonesia ranks third, after India and China, in the list of countries with the largest number of tuberculosis patients.

Tuberculosis is one of the biggest killers in Indonesia, with 300 deaths from the disease each day.

Current challenges in tackling the disease include MDR (multiple drug-resistant) tuberculosis, which usually occurs due to incomplete treatment, and tuberculosis in patients with HIV/AIDS, which induces higher vulnerability to the disease. (dis)

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