Acting Jakarta Governor, Heru Budi Hartono, launched Tuberculosis (TBC) Alert Village, at National Library Building, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (5/8).

The launching was held to increasing knowledge, awareness and community independence in preventing Tuberculosis, while commemorating World Tuberculosis Day.

Heru asks cooperation from all side to realize TBC Alert Kampong as well as realizing Jakarta free of TBC in 2030.

"I ask regent, mayor, sub-district head, and urban village head to participate. TBC is like a submarine. It stays without voice, but it keeps transmitting to Jakarta residents. So I ask regent, mayor, sub-district head, and urban village head to consistently reducing TBC case," Heru said as quoted from Jakarta Provincial Government's press release.

Heru added efforts to suppress TB cases are a priority for the Jakarta Provincial Government. In fact, the Jakarta Special Region Law (DKJ) regulates that the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) is allocated to tackle the spread of TB in Jakarta.

"Around five percent of the budget must be allocated to urban villages, so this can be used for the program to end TB. Then, starting today, the head of the community health center, if there are non-Jakarta residents who seek treatment here, we will treat them well, and must write to the head of the region concerned. It is aimed that data collection can be carried out on each resident as an effort to suppress the spread of TB," he added.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Health Agency Head, Ani Ruspitawati, said this year's World Tuberculosis Day carries the theme of the Indonesian Movement to End Tuberculosis. Through this theme, it is hoped that greater awareness will be created about the TB problem in Indonesia.

TBC Alert Kampong will be provided at 267 RWs starting today up to September 2024. This effort will be continued with Innovation to Accelerate TB Handling in implementing basic health services related to TB, community empowerment through the development of Community Resource Health Efforts (UKBM), and massive health promotion in every TB Alert Kampong that has been formed.

"In October 2024, appreciation will be given to the 5 (five) best TB Free Kampongs based on predetermined criteria, including aspects that will be assessed, namely availability of policies, infrastructure, case finding and assistance efforts, aspects of health promotion and community empowerment, innovation, and achievements of TB control program indicators," she explained.

Ani continued that in 2023, 60,420 new TB cases were found in Jakarta, 16% of which or 9,684 were pediatric patients. Of all new TB sufferers each year, it turns out that 14% of them have not undergone treatment because they do not believe that they suffer from TB or are afraid of being dismissed from work or ostracized by society, even though TB ​​treatment is provided free of charge. This is compounded by the fact that there are still 14% of patients who drop out of treatment.

"So this causes the incidence of TB in Jakarta to remain high, namely 535 per 100,000 population, while the TB elimination target that has been set nationally is 65 per 100,000 population. This means that we must reduce the incidence of TB from 60,420 cases in 2023, to around 6,901 cases in 2030 or 1/8 of the current condition," she closed.