The Indonesian Ministry of Health is charting the next phase of its tuberculosis (TB) response based on the findings of an August 2025 review of the country’s national TB programme. The review, conducted with World Health Organization (WHO) and partner support, assessed progress, identified systemic gaps and defined priority actions to inform the development of the National TB Strategic Plan 2025–2029.
Despite strong political commitment, Indonesia continues to face a high and largely static TB burden. In 2023 WHO estimated that 387 per 100 000 people developed TB, equivalent to around 1.09 million cases. This marks an increase from 325 per 100 000 in 2015, reflecting both the impacts of COVID-19 and long-standing programmatic bottlenecks. TB deaths also remain high, with 130 927 deaths recorded in 2023 compared with about 104 000 in 2015.
The 2025 Joint Programme Review (JPR), held from 5 to 19 August, brought together national and subnational stakeholders, WHO, and key partners. It combined virtual sessions with field visits to Lampung, DKI Jakarta and West Java, as well as virtual engagements with South Sulawesi and Papua, applying a comprehensive methodology that included document reviews, stakeholder interviews and on-site assessments.
“Indonesia is fully committed to ending TB through bold, coordinated action,” said Minister of Health Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin upon presentation of the findings. “This review offers a strategic framework to guide our efforts and help us ensure that one million people with TB are identified and linked to care within the next year, with a treatment success rate of 90%. Preventive treatment remains a challenge, but we are hopeful that a TB vaccine can be introduced by the end of 2028 or early 2029.”
Next-step priorities
To accelerate progress, the Review recommends updating the 2021 Presidential Decree on TB, with a focus on four areas. First, such revision should strengthen legal authority and secure financing. Detection and diagnosis improvements focus on closing the prevalence–notification gap through expanded screening, faster referrals and reducing diagnostic delays. For treatment and care, the priorities are improving treatment success, reducing loss to follow-up and protecting households from catastrophic costs. Finally, community and social support efforts aim to address social and behavioural risk factors while strengthening village-level health systems and empowering health workers.
“To bend the TB curve in Indonesia, we must shift from ambition to execution,” said Dr Jeremiah Chakaya, international TB expert and lead reviewer. “The tools are available, the policies are in place – what’s needed now is bold, patient-centred implementation.”
The JPR further calls for action on upstream determinants such as smoking, undernutrition, diabetes and alcohol use disorder, alongside securing sustainable financing to halve TB incidence by 2030.
Building on the JPR’s findings, Indonesia is now working to align policy, financing and community action to accelerate impact. “By doing so, the country can significantly reduce TB transmission and mortality, and move closer to its 2030 elimination target,” said Dr Stephen Chacko, Team Lead for Communicable Diseases, WHO Indonesia. “With renewed political will and sustained community engagement, Indonesia is poised to turn evidence into action, for a TB-free future for every Indonesian.”
Written by Yoana Anandita, National Consultant for TB, WHO Indonesia