Merauke, Jubi – The South Papua provincial government will strengthen cross-sector collaboration to accelerate leprosy elimination after Governor Apolo Safanpo signed a joint declaration at the 2026 National Leprosy Conference in Jakarta on Friday (July 10, 2026).
Benedicta Herlina Rahangiar, head of the South Papua Health, Population Control and Family Planning Office, said the commitment will be followed by a series of coordination meetings and the signing of a provincial joint agreement involving government agencies and other stakeholders.
The initiative will bring together district governments, regional government agencies, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police (Polri), legislative institutions, the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP), academics, professional associations, development partners, customary leaders, and religious leaders.
“Following the Governor’s directive, we will immediately organize a coordination meeting and sign a joint commitment to accelerate leprosy elimination, strengthen efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and improve maternal and child health,” Rahangiar said.
She said the agreement will involve all district heads, district health offices, regional government agencies, and other cross-sector partners.
According to Rahangiar, broad collaboration is essential because South Papua continues to record a high burden of leprosy cases.
Provincial health data show that the prevalence of leprosy in 2025 reached 8.13 cases per 10,000 people, well above the national elimination target of fewer than one case per 10,000 people.
The province also recorded 221 new leprosy cases during 2025, including 180 adults and 41 children. Its Case Detection Rate (CDR) reached 40.21 cases per 100,000 people, significantly exceeding the national target of five cases per 100,000 people.
Rahangiar said every confirmed case is treated according to national medical guidelines, although the province occasionally experiences delays in receiving medication supplies from the central government.
“We ensure that every patient diagnosed with leprosy receives treatment as quickly as possible,” she said.
She acknowledged that delayed deliveries of medicines remain a challenge but stressed that maintaining healthcare services remains the government’s priority.
Rahangiar also encouraged residents to take advantage of Indonesia’s Free Health Check Program, saying it can help detect diseases, including leprosy, at an early stage so treatment can begin promptly and the risk of transmission can be reduced.
Earlier, Governor Apolo Safanpo joined Indonesia’s other 37 provincial governors in signing the Joint Commitment for Accelerating Leprosy Elimination during the 2026 National Leprosy Conference, organized by the Ministry of Health and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture.
The declaration forms part of Indonesia’s national goal of eliminating leprosy, ending stigma, and eliminating social exclusion related to the disease by 2030. (*)
