The handling of tuberculosis (TB) not only requires medication, but also environmental, behavioral, nutritional, and socioeconomic interventions, an official from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Agus Suprapto, has stated.
“The problem is complex. It is no longer about drugs because they are already free,” he said during the “National Synergy to Expedite TB Elimination by 2030 in Indonesia” webinar on Monday.
Therefore, the ministry has formed the TB Mitigation Partnership Platform (WKPTB) as a follow-up to Presidential Regulation No. 67 of 2021 on tuberculosis mitigation.
The WKPTB has opened opportunities for partners, including those from the business world, to collaborate under the Tuberculosis Mitigation Partnership Integrated Program Action (Aksi Proteksi).
The platform is aimed at increasing resources to expedite TB elimination in Indonesia by 2030.
Resources for expediting TB elimination do not need to come from the health sector. Other sectors such as engineering and architecture can also be involved in creating healthy housing.
This is because several risk factors of tuberculosis involve housing that lacks sunlight exposure, has inadequate air circulation, is damp, and is located in densely populated areas, Suprapto informed.
Psychologists can also be partners in TB mitigation because patients on TB medication usually undergo changes in their mental condition, he said.
“When they consume TB drugs for six months, they start to feel disoriented by the third month. Those who have TB that are already immune to drugs feel even more uncomfortable,” he expounded.
Social research is also very crucial for handling the negative stigma surrounding TB, improving patients’ compliance in taking medication, and ensuring that patients do not endanger their environment, he said.
“Training people to cough correctly is not easy,” he added.
“For instance, there is a person coughing while their neighbors have infants. They go outside their house, coughing and spitting everywhere. Before long, the infants suffer from TB,” he said.
This shows that environmental factors can help in making TB patients comfortable in their homes and ensuring that they do not disrupt the health and peace of their environment.
Source: Antara News