The ministry’s Head of the Communication Bureau, Budi Prasetyo, stated that the Pentahelix collaboration emphasizes massive and integrated public communication channels to support the goal of TB elimination by 2030.
“TB has been a long-standing problem, and Indonesia has the second-highest number of TB cases in the world after India. Therefore, we need a massive campaign to spread public awareness that TB is curable,” he remarked during a meeting in Jakarta on Friday.
He explained that the national TB control campaign is being driven through the “TOS TB: Find, Treat, Until Cured” movement, focusing on raising awareness, promoting early detection, and ensuring treatment completion.
As an initial step, the government will conduct a large-scale campaign during Car Free Day (CFD) on November 9, 2025, in eight priority cities. The initiative will involve ministries and institutions (K/L), as well as local governments, to strengthen public communication with a unified narrative, he conveyed.
“This strategy is modeled after the COVID-19 response, which involved all elements of the nation — not only the government, but also the public, the industrial sector, the business community, universities, and civil society,” he continued.
According to him, one of the TB management priorities is expanding screening and early detection. The public is encouraged to undergo testing, as TB can be cured with consistent treatment.
“People affected by TB are often reluctant to undergo screening because they fear losing their jobs due to stigma. However, TB is curable. With proper treatment, patients can recover and return to their normal activities,” Prasetyo explained.
The Pentahelix approach — involving the government, the public, academics, the business sector, and the media — is expected to help achieve the target of TB elimination by 2030.
He noted that several ministries, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and several non-structural government agencies, will establish a joint communication forum to develop a unified narrative for TB prevention and management.
This initiative is expected to broaden the reach of TB information and raise public awareness about its prevention and treatment.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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