Empowering the Critical Role of Public Health Center on Communicable Disease Prevention and Control of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis has become an infectious disease with a high prevalence in developing countries, requiring serious handling from all stakeholders. Public health centers in this context have a critical role in relation to their function as first-level health care facilities. This study seeks to analyze the empowerment of the role of public health centers in the control of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in Central Java, Indonesia. This study was conducted using a field research method through a survey with the method of observation and interviews with respondents. The analysis technique is done by using the mixing method. Quantitative techniques are extracted from data related to the treatment of tuberculosis in Central Java, and are equipped with qualitative methods to get feedback from doctors and nurses at public health centers regarding strategies and challenges in treating tuberculosis. The results of the study show opportunities for empowering the role of public health centers through regulatory channels to give greater authority to the public health center to handle drug-resistant TB. The results of this study are practically useful for stakeholders and policymakers to elaborately place the important functions of the public health center in handling drug-resistant TB.