Ministry of Health Reveals State Bonus of Rp. 17.5 Trillion due to Lifestyle Pollution – 13 hours ago

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – In recent months, the air quality in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) as well as several areas in Indonesia has been getting worse. As a result, not a few people who complain of experiencing health problems.

Quoting from the upload of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes RI), air pollution contributed as much as 36.6 percent of cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 32 percent of cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and pneumonia, 29.7 percent of asthma cases, 12.5 percent of lung cancer cases, and 12.2 percent of tuberculosis cases.

These five respiratory diseases are also the highest causes of death in the world, according to the 2019 Global Burden Diseases data.

“If pollutants are inhaled continuously for a long time, it can have a negative impact on health,” wrote the Ministry of Health via its official Instagram upload (@kemenkes_ri), Thursday (24/8/2023).

“The adverse effects can vary. In addition to having an impact on immunity, pollution can also trigger respiratory diseases, such as lung cancer, asthma, COPD, tuberculosis and pneumonia,” continued the Ministry of Health.

In the same upload, the Ministry of Health revealed that respiratory diseases were the highest burden for the National Health Insurance (JKN) program during the 2018-2022 period with the following details.

1. Lung Cancer costs (Rp 766 billion) – 150,268 BPJS patients

2. Asthma costs (Rp 1.4 trillion) – 2.1 million BPJS patients

3. COPD costs (Rp 1.8 trillion) – 1 million BPJS patients

4. Tuberculosis costs (Rp 5.2 trillion) – 1.8 million BPJS patients

5. Pneumonia costs (Rp 8.7 trillion) – 2.1 million BPJS patients

In total, the state spends more than IDR 17.5 trillion to treat respiratory diseases caused by air pollution.

Tips so you don’t get sick easily amidst the threat of pollution

1. Breathe through your nose

Clinical & Scientific Lead AsaRen, dr. Meryl Kallman, asked the public to return to routinely using masks and breathing through the nose, not the mouth. This is because the nose is a natural human ‘air purifier’ because it has a natural filter in the form of nose hairs.

“If you have to do activities outside, you should use a respirator mask, such as the N95. Then, you need to remember to breathe through your nose because the nose is a kind of ‘air filter’ (air filter) built in,” said dr. Mimi to CNBC Indonesia in Jakarta, Monday (14/7/2023).

“When we inhale, we have to inhale through our nose. If we breathe through our mouth, there is more pollution that can enter the lungs,” he explained.

2. Use an additional air purifier

dr. Mimi also recommends using an air purifier or air filter in the room. This is because indoor pollution is higher than outdoor pollution.

“The use of air purifiers indoors is highly recommended because they can filter out pollutants in the air, especially if all of these things (pollutants) are in one room without ventilation,” said dr. Mimi.

3. Maintain diet and consumption of vitamins

The community must also start adopting a healthy lifestyle to avoid the risk of disease due to poor air quality, one of which is by maintaining a balanced diet.

“Recommendations since the beginning of the medical era are still valid today, namely we must live a healthy lifestyle, get enough sleep, drink enough water, and maintain a balanced diet with proper nutrition,” said dr. Mimi.

“Zinc (zinc) and vitamin C are nutrients that must always be fulfilled because they can support healthy immune function,” he added.

4. Indoor sports

In implementing a healthy lifestyle, dr. Mimi encourages each individual to balance daily activities with regular light exercise. He said, exercise can be done indoors to avoid exposure to air pollution.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(hsy/hsy)