Indonesia: Transforming the Fight Against Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Indonesia has the second-highest tuberculosis (TB) burden in the world – about 1 million people in the country fall ill with the disease every year. Drug-resistant TB, a deadly strain of the disease that is difficult to diagnose and does not respond to first-line treatment, is a persistent threat. Left unchecked, drug-resistant TB can quickly spread within and beyond borders – posing a serious danger to millions of people across the globe.
Indonesia – once exclusively a recipient of Global Fund financing, and now also a donor country itself – is tackling this challenge head on. Together with the Global Fund partnership, Indonesia is transforming the response to this age-old disease.
The effort to fight drug-resistant TB in Indonesia is four-fold. First, the expansion of timely and accurate diagnosis of drug-resistant TB is ensuring that patients receive the right treatment quickly and is reducing the spread of resistant strains.
Second, by decentralizing drug-resistant TB care from hospitals to local primary health care clinics, the treatment journey is more cost-effective and much more convenient and accessible for patients.
Third, a specialized health workforce – called TB cadres and case managers – have been hired to provide drug-resistant TB care. They offer essential support to people as they complete a difficult course of treatment.
Fourth, Indonesia has rolled out a revolutionary drug-resistant TB treatment regimen called BPaL/M. Because the treatment lasts just 6 months – rather than 18-24 months like other treatments – and has fewer debilitating side effects, and fewer pills to take, patients are more likely to successfully complete their treatment and become well again.
Indonesia was quick to scale up BPaL/M: In January 2024, just 17% of eligible patients with drug-resistant TB were treated with the new regimen. By December 2024, over 80% of eligible patients received this new treatment. And that number continues to rise.
This comprehensive approach to diagnosis, treatment and care – bringing lifesaving services closer to patients, and quickly widening access to a game-changing treatment regimen – is a cornerstone of Indonesia’s health transformation strategy and promises to have a real and tangible impact in the fight against TB.