Indonesia is currently in the spotlight to end TB. The emergence of 842,000 new cases per year ranks the country as the third one with the highest TB incidence, after India and China.
For now, Indonesia has mainly been applying TB prevention and control strategies from a biomedical perspective. However, ending TB requires the addressing of social factors and building of political will. Combining both the biomedical and socio-political approaches can transform the TB response, putting the world back on track to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals targets.
With the above context in mind, the Global TB Caucus conducted a bilateral visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, to attend the Stop TB Partnerships’ 32nd Board Meeting and to establish partnerships with national partners including the House of Representatives, Ministry of Health, G20 Secretariat and Stop TB Partnership Indonesia (STPI).
During the three-day visit in the country, the Global TB Caucus Co-chair Rt Hon. Nick Herbert CBE (UK), the Asia Pacific region Co-chair Hon. Helen Tan (Philippines) the Americas Co-chair Hon Antonio Brito (Brazil), and Hon Putih Sari (Indonesia), member of the Global TB Caucus, met with officials in the country, including Minister of Health, Terawan Agus Putranto, and the Health Commission of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia. The main objective of this delegation was to highlight the need for a coordinated institutional political response to TB in Indonesia and share the experience of the Global TB Caucus in the field.
The delegation also met with representatives of the Civil Society and attended the Stop TB board meeting, in order to coordinate with Stop TB for activities to come in the country and also to work globally together towards ending the disease.
Last but not least, this was the occasion for our Co-chairs to gather and celebrate the Caucus’ fifth birthday and to remember some anecdotes from the beginning of this fulfilling adventure. Watch more here: