PTAR with the Health Agency of South Tapanuli and CV Sinergi Medika Indonesia collaborate to increase the public health services by revitalizing the Posyandu in seven pilot villages towards the Martabe Healthy Villages.
BATANGTORU, 25 July 2022 – PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), the operator of Martabe Gold Mine, launched a Program towards having a Tuberculosis-Free South Tapanuli (ENTAS-TB), disbursing funds of IDR 450 million to suppress the infectious disease incidence rate of tuberculosis in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra.
The program is expected to be able to help the Indonesian government’s target reduce the tuberculosis incidents and help reduce the national tuberculosis death rate. The cooperation agreement of the ENTAS-TB Program for 2022 was signed by PTAR, South Tapanuli Health Agency, and Foundation of Koninklijke Nederlandse Centrale Vereniging tot bestrijding der Tuberculose (KNCV) Indonesia on 20 July 2022.
Rahmat Lubis, PTAR General Manager for Operations, said that health is one of the five implementing pillars for the PTAR Community Development Program. His discription of the overall mission is:
In our health programs, we focus on revitalization and acceleration of public health quality and services. For example, the aim is to increase health quality for the elderly, healthy youths, pregnant women, children, and general public.
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Coordination meeting among PT Agincourt Resources, Health Agency of South Tapanuli, and stakeholders in the Program towards Tuberculosis-Free South Tapanuli (ENTAS-TB) in the Community Health Centre (Puskesmas) of Batangtoru, 22 July 2022.
Based on Foundation of KNCV Indonesia data for 2022, in South Tapanuli there were 378 tuberculosis cases, equivalent to 36% of the estimated 1,037 cases in 2021. Meanwhile, in the Elimination Roadmap prepared by the Health Ministry, Indonesia’s target in 2030 is a 90% decrease in incidence of tuberculosis and 95% decrease in deaths due to tuberculosis compared to 2014.
Christine Pepah, PTAR Senior Community Manager, said that the ENTAS-TB Program supports tuberculosis elimination by 2030 through partnership network development and increased capacity. This involves actively finding cases and mentoring tuberculosis patients in South Tapanuli. In response to a Regional Action Plan Document and Cross-Sectoral Forum to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030 she commented:
This program will also strengthen the health workers capacity and tuberculosis cadres in the active finding and encouraging the cross-sectoral forum to realize tuberculosis-free pilot villages in seven identified villages in two sub-districts, namely Batangtoru and Muara Batangtoru.
The seven villages are Aek Pining, Telo Village, Batuhula Village, Hapesong Lama Village, Wek, Terapung Raya Village, and Bandar Hapinis Village.
Sri Khairunnisa, Head of the South Tapanuli Health Agency, said that the ENTAS-TB Program is currently focused on two sub-districts, namely Batangtoru and Muara Batangtoru, and will later be adopted in other sub-districts. Sri expanded on the positive PTAR contribution:
This Program conducted by PTAR supports the activities undertaken by the District Government. We hope that this program can be a pilot project adopted by other sub-districts to accelerate tuberculosis elimination.
Photo 1: The coordination meeting among PT Agincourt Resources, the Health Agency of South Tapanuli, and stakeholders in the Program towards TB-Free South Tapanuli (ENTAS-TB) in the Community Health Centre (Puskesmas) of Batangtoru, 22 July 2022. (Doc: PTAR).
Photo 2: PT Agincourt Resources along with the Health Agency of South Tapanuli and CV Sinergi Medika Indonesia collaborate to increase the public health services by revitalizing the Posyandu in seven pilot villages towards the Martabe Healthy Villages (Desa Sehat Martabe) (Doc: PTAR).
