Indonesia – Strengthening Health Care Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure

Indonesia Joins A Five Country Initiative Fighting Lead Poisoning

Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure is a partnership between Pure Earth and the Ministries of Health in Colombia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra, India, and Peru to strengthen each country’s national healthcare system to  prevent, identify, and treat lead poisoning.

Today, 1 in 3 children – 800 million – have enough lead in their blood to cause permanent neurological, cognitive, and physical harm.

An estimated 292 million lead-poisoned children live in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra (India), and Peru.

From 2023 to 2027, the Ministries of Health in these 5 countries and states will design and implement new programs to identify, monitor and reduce lead exposure. By enhancing clinical education and guidelines, strengthening health surveillance technology, and educating teachers and parents on the dangers of lead, countries will be able to better protect children and future generations from lead poisoning.

Project update:

2023

In 2023, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia organized the national launch of the program, solidifying collaboration with the Ministry of Health by signing a partnership – witnessed by representatives from multiple government bodies, WHO, UNICEF, and other key stakeholders. In collaboration with its strategic partner, Vital Strategies, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia developed questionnaires to assess national laboratory capacity and the results will be used as reference for inventory and capacity improvement to monitor lead exposure, especially in children.

2024

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia, and Vital Strategies held a multi-stakeholders meeting in April 2024. One of the meeting’s results was the formation of the Blood Lead Surveillance (BLS) Working Group. Led by the Directorate of Environmental Health, the Working Group has held a series of meetings and received extensive input to develop the BLS piloting work plans. These plans encompass study design, location selection, methodology, laboratory partnerships, and communication strategies. As the initiative progressed, the Working Group expanded. In early December 2024, the Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition (PRKesmaszi) of BRIN officially joined as the Principal Investigator for the BLS piloting.

2025

The first phase of BLS piloting in Indonesia was officially kicked off in December 2024. It will take place throughout 2025 in twelve selected districts/cities across six provinces: East Java, Central Java, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bali, and West Nusa Tenggara, as well as a pre-survey location in Tangerang Regency.

Visit the Indonesia project website to learn more.