Challenges on tuberculosis care in health care facilities during COVID-19 pandemic: Indonesian perspective

Wira Winardi; Hendra  Wahyuni; Moulid  Hidayat; Aditya  Wirawan; Fariz  Nurwidya; Mohammad N.  Uddin; Mohamad  Yusup

doi:10.52225/narra.v2i2.80

Authors

Wira Winardi Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0880-7445
Hendra Wahyuni Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Malikussaleh, Lhokseumawe, Indonesia; 3Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Mataram, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5996-1477
Moulid Hidayat Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Mataram, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5526-2700
Aditya Wirawan Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Fariz Nurwidya Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8379-9510
Mohammad N. Uddin Genomic and Regenerative Medicine Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Bunkyo-ku, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0223-9763
Mohamad Yusup Kawakita General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1419-7847

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52225/narra.v2i2.80

Keywords:

COVID-19, tuberculosis, tuberculosis care, pandemic, health care disruption

Abstract

Indonesia is among the top three countries globally with the highest tuberculosis burden. During the past decades, Indonesian health authorities have struggled to improve tuberculosis care quality in health care facilities by optimizing the regulation and strengthening the private sector contributions. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has hardly affected the Indonesian health care system, including the National Tuberculosis Control Program. While the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia is uncertain, the measure to control tuberculosis must not be weakened. Early identification and measurement of the problem size are essential to decide the most appropriate approach to maintain the sustainability of National Tuberculosis Control Program, particularly in health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article points out the possible threats to the sustainability of TB care in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, including some approaches to overcome those problems.