BOGOR - A team from USAID Washington and the Project HOPE Foundation visited the National Mental Health Center Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital (PKJN RSMM) to discuss cooperation in integrating mental health and tuberculosis services in Indonesia. The team was welcomed by the directors and management in the Papandayan Room, PKJN RSMM, Bogor, Wednesday (22/5/2024).
In the discussion session, USAID Washington TB Program Manager, Jamie Minchin, expressed his appreciation to PKJN RSMM for opening up this collaboration opportunity.
“We believe the link between mental health services and tuberculosis is very important, especially in Indonesia. Multi-sector cooperation between countries needs to be carried out for integration between mental health and tuberculosis services. "From this meeting, in the future, guidelines and recommendations will be made that will be given to the government," he said.
This project started in April and has been carried out in Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia. TB Mind Asia Team Leader, Alia Hartanti, said that the product of this collaboration will be guidance and recommendations regarding the development of policies and plans for the implementation of integrated mental health and tuberculosis services that will be provided to the government.
"We have collaborated, one of which is by helping carry out screening at the Cigombong Community Health Center. After visiting the puskesmas, we saw that they were working very well. "In the future, we will consult the SOP with RSMM before we send it to the health service," he said.
The board of directors and management of PKJN RSMM welcome this collaboration. In the discussion session, the Main Director of PKJN RSMM, Nova Riyanti Yusuf, said that there were several challenges in providing tuberculosis health services, especially in Bogor City.
“First, currently BPJS Health is in control, so there is a tiered referral system for TB services. Second, in terms of coordination, primary health services are under the regional government, while we are a vertical hospital under the Ministry of Health. "This is a challenge in itself because this synergy must work well," he said. (Rianto)