SURABAYA – In an ongoing effort to prevent and control infectious disease outbreaks globally, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a leading global medical technology company, announced today a collaboration to strengthen Indonesia’s national reference laboratory systems.  This new private/public partnership supports the National Tuberculosis (TB) Program (NTP), and will aim to improve and expand quality laboratory services.  In particular, the collaboration will emphasize the early detection of TB cases, as well as monitoring and treatment services.

Modeled after the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and BD’s Labs for Life program, the USAID/BD collaboration will introduce improved laboratory practices in 19 national reference laboratories supported by the NTP, which are conducting TB diagnostic services.  BD will also train lab workers on the TB culture drug susceptibility testing, and together, USAID/BD will develop a nationally recognized accreditation and certification system for Indonesian laboratories and lab personnel.

“The United States partners with the Government of Indonesia, local governments, civil society, and the private sector to harness the power of scientific advances, accurate diagnostic tools, and world-class medical standards to stop and treat TB infections,” said U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Kristen Bauer, who launched the initiative in Surabaya. “We are committed to combating TB in Indonesia to save lives and avert tens of thousands of additional TB cases.” 

”BD applauds USAID and the Ministry of Health in Indonesia for their leadership in the fight against TB,” said James Lim, President of Greater Asia, BD. “BD is committed to accurately diagnosing TB and strengthening laboratories by training local healthcare workers on TB culture drug susceptibility testing.”

USAID and BD share a common goal to work with the Ministry of Health to lower infectious disease incidence and mortality in Indonesia. Indonesia is a TB high-burden country, ranking 4th for TB and 8^th multi-drug resistant TB globally.  In Indonesia, approximately 64,000 people die each year from TB, and two percent of all new TB cases and 12 percent re-treatment cases in Indonesia have multidrug-resistant TB.  The TB laboratory network is critical to identifying TB cases early and determining appropriate treatments.

Balai Besar Laboratorium Kesehatan (BBLK) Surabaya is internationally accredited, and is a core partner to the USAID/BD collaboration and effort to strengthen laboratory capacity across Indonesia.  This partnership is being launched at BBLK Surabaya to recognize their accomplishments and recent laboratory renovations, supported through USAID’s TB CARE program, which will greatly expand their capacity.

USAID’s programs provide the largest bilateral contribution to TB control in Indonesia.  Currently, through the TB CARE program and DELIVER, implemented by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and John Snow International (JSI), USAID supports the Government of Indonesia and health care providers to increase TB case detection, ensure completion of treatment for each patient, and improve the overall quality of care.