Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s national health conference openedin Banten province on March 6 with the participation of over 1,850 delegatesfrom 34 provinces and preventive medicine centres across the country.

Addressing the three-day event, Indonesian Minister of Health NilaMoeloek said the conference focuses on three major issues – speeding up theelimination of Tuberculosis (TB), reducing the ratio of stunted children andexpanding the coverage and quality of vaccination.

Moeloek noted that the number of health insurance holders of the countryrose to 192 million earlier this year compared to only 133.4 million threeyears ago, adding that the engagement of local public health system has beenpromoted.

However, she admitted that TB is still a challenge to the SoutheastAsian country where TB cases have not reduced over the past years, with manyunreported cases. It ranks second in the world in terms of burden of thedisease.

Experts attributed the situation to poor maternal nutrition, along withother factors related to the economy, education, infrastructure, culture andenvironment.

The Indonesian Government has committed to its citizens to improvehealth care quality in the future in both local and central levels, with afocus on enhancing people’s physical development and reduce stunted childrenratio through maternal health care and preventing diseases by vaccinations.-VNA