JCIE’s Friends of the Global Fund, Japan (FGFJ) conducted a press tour that brought four journalists from major Japanese newspapers to two cities in Indonesia for site visits of Global Fund–supported activities. Since the participants had not previously covered topics related to global health, FGFJ held two pre-trip briefings to provide background information on the Global Fund’s investments in Indonesia and the current status of the fight against the three diseases. Ambassador Masahiko Kiya, the Japanese government’s newly appointed representative on the Global Fund’s board also joined the trip as a special guest to learn firsthand the impact of the Global Fund.

The press tour involved a range of meetings that gave participants an overview of the impact of Global Fund supported programs in the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, while also allowing them to have firsthand interaction with beneficiaries of these programs. After India, Indonesia has the world’s second largest number of new tuberculosis cases. On a visit to Persahabatan Hospital in Jakarta, one of 139 hospitals offering drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatment in Indonesia, the journalists spoke with DR-TB patients and learned how Global Fund support is used to purchase medicine and diagnostic devices and also to support capacity building efforts.

For more information on this event, please visit the FGFJ Website.