Saturday, November 18, 2023, the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) through Master of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) students held the 10th series of online seminars with the theme “Synergy towards a TB-Free Indonesia.” This online seminar was attended by participants from various groups ranging from students to professional practitioners.
The aims and targets of TB control in the workplace according to Minister of Health Regulation Number 13 of 2022 are to provide occupational safety and health protection in preventing and controlling the emergence of TB in the workplace as well as supporting the national TB control program, namely eliminating TB by 2030 and a TB-free Indonesia by 2050. The company’s obligation is to develop a policy for controlling TB in the workplace, carry out outreach, disseminate information, educate about TB in the workplace, and carry out case discovery as well as handling TB cases and restoring workers’ health. “In order to formulate a policy for preventing TB in the workplace, commitment is needed that is expressed in the work program, and the most important thing is the elimination of stigma and discrimination,” said the Director of Occupational Safety and Health Testing (OSH) of the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Drs. Muhammad Idham., M.K.K.K., in his remarks and keynote speech at this seminar.
In the next session, Prof. Dr. Adang Bachtiar, M.P.H., D.Sc., Lecturer at FPH UI and Chair of the TB-CCM Indonesia Technical Working Group (TWG); Dr. Alexander K. Ginting S., Sp.P(K), FCCP., Indonesian Presidential Team of Doctors, Consultant in Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine; and Sudarmadi Widodo, Director of HRD & Corporate Communication Otsuka Group Indonesia provided material at this seminar. Prof. Adang conveyed about the dangers of TB and its prevention. Currently, Indonesia also has the second highest number in the world with TB cases reaching 969 thousand cases, with the workplace being the place with the highest risk of transmitting TB. “Achieving the TB elimination target in Indonesia by 2030 is optimized using epidemiological modeling, providing TPT is a prerequisite for achieving TB elimination by 2030 in addition to screening interventions in at-risk populations and bacteriological diagnosis,” said Prof. Adang. Based on the 2022 Global TB Report, the incidence of TB in Indonesia is 354/100,000 population, and it is estimated that 969,000 people suffer from TB.
Furthermore, Dr. Alexander K. Ginting S., Sp.P(K), FCCP., conveyed efforts to prevent and be aware of TB transmission in the workplace. Tuberculosis control is all health efforts that prioritize promotive and preventive aspects without neglecting curative and rehabilitative aspects to protect public health, reduce morbidity, disability, or death, stop transmission, prevent TB drug resistance, and reduce the negative impacts caused by TB disease. “This prevention effort does not only involve government agencies but also how regulations can regulate it. “Treating TB involves various existing problems, including community nutrition, community economy, poverty, as well as expenditure and availability of medicines,” said Dr. Alex. It was also stated that workers with MDR TB are not allowed to return to work until they have undergone a sputum culture conversion examination or are confirmed not to have resistant TB.
In material related to “How to Set Our Workplace Free from TBC” delivered by the Director of HRD & Corporate Communication of Otsuka Group Indonesia, Sudarmadi Widodo, it was stated that “Free TBC at Workplaces” is a program that aims to tackle TB in the workplace and help with those who were found to be TB positive. As many as 45 of the 67,311 workers screened by Otsuka were confirmed positive for TB. Otsuka also has a platform that operates in the fields of education, health, and the environment, namely “Satu Hati”. The One Heart program in the health sector is entitled One Heart Makes the Nation Healthy. “One of the projects related to sustainability is Otsuka Group Tuberculosis which is optimized by creating a TB-free work environment while helping to eliminate the negative stigma of TB sufferers,” he explained. The project is carried out comprehensively, consisting of pre-event, treatment, nutrition support, monitoring & reporting, and measurement. “Treatment alone is not enough, there needs to be improved nutrition. Therefore, Otsuka provides nutritionists to analyze sufferers’ eating patterns and provide appropriate menus as an effort to improve nutrition. TB sufferers must consume high levels of protein and calories to increase the body’s immunity in order to optimize treatment and speed up healing time,” said Sudarmadi.
For Otsuka, workers are the main asset for a company or employment provider, and everyone is at risk of being infected with TB, especially workers. In connection with this, Otsuka management is trying to participate in preventing TB in the workplace starting from worker selection, workplace sanitation hygiene, housing, or dormitories where workers live, as well as collaborating with the local Community Health Center.
Through this seminar, it can be concluded that TB is one of the serious health problems facing Indonesia. Handling TB requires the active role and collaboration of various sectors through integrated movements and implemented synergistically. (DFD)
