TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin proposed that tuberculosis (TB) patients become beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. He stated that his proposal had been submitted to the Head of the National Nutrition Body (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deyang.
According to the results of an international journal study, Budi explained that the physical condition of tuberculosis patients during treatment is considered weak. He said that from a health perspective, malnourished tuberculosis patients are classified as vulnerable.
"Therefore, if tuberculosis patients can receive sufficient or slightly more nutritional intake, it will strengthen and expedite their recovery," he said at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Budi stated that the ministry could solve health problems, especially those related to tuberculosis, by providing MBG.
"Around 126,000 annually. So when we talk for 5 minutes, two people (due to tuberculosis) die in Indonesia," he said.
In addition to tuberculosis patients, Budi revealed that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers are also groups that need to receive MBG. "If the nutritional needs of these four targets are met, our health problems will decrease drastically," he said.
However, Budi is still waiting to hear back about the proposal to include tuberculosis patients in the MBG program. He said that the proposal is still limited to discussions with the implementing agency of the meal distribution project.
Separately, BGN is examining a new MBG distribution scheme that takes the beneficiaries' social and economic conditions into account. One of the indicators being considered is specific desil groups or the level of community welfare.
The spokesperson for BGN, Agustina Arumsari, stated that desil would not be the sole determinant in identifying the target beneficiaries. However, this indicator will be combined with vulnerability to malnutrition and access to nutritional resources within the community.
"Desil is just one indicator. Later, there will be nutritional vulnerability indicators, socio-economic conditions, one of the parameters of which is desil, as well as access to meeting nutritional needs. The criteria are still being processed and refined by us," Arumsari said in a press conference at BGN office, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
She mentioned that BGN is formulating a more accurate and efficient formula for determining target beneficiaries. Discussions on this program will be held with the Ministry of Finance when preparing the budget for the 2027 free nutritious meal program.
BGN has not yet specified the desil groups that will be the priority targets. The agency is still processing data before making the final decision. "If asked about the specifics right now, the formula is still being developed by us," she said.
This assessment is being conducted as BGN evaluates the budgetary needs of the MBG program next year. According to Arumsari, the assumption of 81 million beneficiaries, which is the basis for the proposed 2027 MBG budget, still needs to be re-evaluated.
Arumsari believes that the number of potential beneficiaries is too large, given the actual needs and the government's fiscal condition. Therefore, BGN is revising several assumptions, including the mechanism used to target beneficiaries.
"The number was based on the assumption of 81 million beneficiaries. We still consider this number to be too large," she said.
Dinda Shabrina contributed to the writing of this article
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