Minister of Health, Ir. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, CHFC., CLU.; Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs for 2019–2024 Period, Prof. Dr. H. Mohammad Mahfud MD, S.H., S.U., M.I.P.; and Governor of Jakarta for 2017–2022 period, H. Anies Rasyid Baswedan, S.E., M.P.P., Ph.D. attended the inauguration of Prof. Dr. dr. Erlina Burhan, SpP(K), M.Sc. as Permanent Professor in Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine UI. The inauguration event was held on Saturday (17/2) at the IMERI UI Building and chaired directly by the UI Chancellor, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D.
In her speech entitled “Orchestration towards the Elimination of Tuberculosis in Indonesia by 2030”, Prof. Erlina highlighted Tuberculosis cases in Indonesia increasing. TB is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on data released by the WHO Global TB Report, there were 834,000 new cases in Indonesia in 2010, which increased to 842,000 in 2019 and peaked at 1,060,000 cases in 2022.
“WHO Global TB Report 2023 also released the mortality rate for TB patients with and without HIV in Indonesia will be 134,000 and 6,700 cases respectively. If added up, the total number of TB patients who died during the year was 140,700, which means 385 patients died every day or 16 people died every hour due to TB,” said Prof. Erlina.
The problem of TB is increasing due to the lack of optimal case finding, thus becoming a source of transmission in the community, and low compliance of TB patients with treatment causes an increased risk of drug-resistant TB. In the socio-economic sector, TB patients face discrimination and lose opportunities to study, work, and socialize. Globally, around 50% of TB patients and their families face total expenses that outweigh their income by more than 20%, consisting of direct medical, non-medical, and income loss.
To end the epidemic by 2030 and reduce TB cases to less than 1 case per 1 million population in 2050, Indonesia conducts a program aligned with the End TB Strategy program initiated by WHO. The three main pillars of the program include integrated and patient-centered TB services and prevention, policy and political commitment in the health sector to eliminate TB in Indonesia, and research and innovation in addressing TB-related challenges in Indonesia.
The End TB Agenda targets reducing the TB death rate by 90%, reducing TB cases by 80%, and eliminating the cost load endured by TB patients and their families by 2030. Prof. Erlina believes this target will not be achieved if society continues to behave business as usual. Therefore, she encouraged all parties to optimize what is available while encouraging all innovations in TB diagnosis and screening, including the application of artificial intelligence, prevention, treatment, and the application of new treatment combinations, as well as a new vaccine to replace Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG).
Prof. Erlina said the government and society could learn from the success of handling Covid-19 in Indonesia. “I am very jealous of the handling of Covid. During the pandemic, the public talked about it, and the mass media brought it up so people became aware. “If we do this for TB, I am sure TB can also be stopped,” said Prof. Erlina.
Therefore, she believes that TB control must involve all existing instruments. Collaboration that involves the awareness and motivation of various parties, such as the president and vice president, ministers, regional heads, business actors, professional organizations, religious and cultural communities, and educational institutions, is needed to create an orchestration for TB elimination by 2030. Orchestration of national TB eradication action is conducted to produce optimal results.
Prof. Erlina’s research regarding TB elimination is one of many studies she has conducted. Some of them are Characteristics of Drug-sensitive and Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Cases among Adults at Tuberculosis Referral Hospitals in Indonesia (2022), Treatment Strategy for Rifampin-Susceptible Tuberculosis (2023), Evaluation of Safety and Effectiveness of Remdesivir in Treating Covid-19 Patients after Emergency Use Authorization Study (2023), and Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Severe Covid-19 in Indonesia: Lessons from the First Wave (2023).
Prof. Erlina completed her General Practitioner Education at the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University, in 1990; her Master of Science in Community Health at Heidelberg University, Germany, in 1995; Lung Specialist education in 2004; Respiratory Infection Consultant education in 2010; and Doctorate at Faculty of Medicine UI in 2012. Currently, she serves as Chair of Respiratory Care Indonesia; Chair of the Covid-19 Task Force; Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association; Chairman of the Infection Working Group of the Indonesian Lung Doctors Association; and Chair of the Coalition of Indonesian Professional Organizations for TB.
The inauguration of Prof. Erlina was attended by the Main Director of RSPI Sulianti Saroso, dr. Alvin Kosasih, Sp.P, (K), MKM, FISR, FAPSR, FISQua; Deputy for National Unity Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Dr. Janedjri M. Gaffar, M.Sc.; President Director of Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia, Nathan Tirtana; Director General of P2PM Ministry of Health, dr. Imran Pambudi, MPHM; Professor at Padjadjaran University, Prof. dr. Rovina Ruslami, Sp.PD, Ph.D; and Professor at Padjadjaran University, Prof. dr. Bachti Alisjahbana, Sp.PD-KPTI, Ph.D.
