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Govt plans to revive sanatoriums to treat tuberculosis
Health experts have raised concerns about the government's plan to reestablish sanatoriums, calling it a setback in the country's fight against tuberculosis.
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A health worker conducts a chest X-ray scan at Tangerang City General Hospital in Banten, on March 21, 2023. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he government is planning to revive sanatoriums as a tool to eradicate tuberculosis (TB). But experts are concerned the strategy will not help in the fight against the infectious disease.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently instructed the Health Ministry to reestablish sanatoriums as part of the government’s strategy to curb increasing TB cases in the country.
The ministry recorded 354 cases of TB and 34 deaths from the disease per 100,000 population. The government aims to reduce the number to 65 cases and six deaths per 100,000 population by 2030.
Indonesia is the second-highest contributor to global TB cases in the world after India, according to the 2022 Global TB Report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). The condition was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a 17-percent increase of cases: from 824,000 in 2020 to 969,000 in 2022.
The Southeast Asian country is also among the top four contributors of global TB deaths. The infectious disease, usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, remains among the top four leading causes of mortality in Indonesia at 93,000 deaths per year or around 11 per hour.
Read also: Indonesians try fighting tuberculosis with love and care
Sanatoriums would limit the risk of disease transmission to healthy family members, while health workers could monitor the patients to make sure they stayed on their medication, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. People with tuberculosis need to undergo a six-month medication regimen without missing a single dose to be fully cured.
