In an effort to accelerate malaria elimination nationwide, the Ministry of Health, through the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control, has engaged a number of experts to serve as resource persons and moderators in a series of strategic activities from March to April 2026.

This initiative comes in response to increasingly challenging malaria elimination targets. As outlined in the document (page 1), the national target of achieving malaria-free status in 425 districts/cities by the end of 2025 has not yet been fully realised, with only 412 areas achieving elimination. This indicates that Indonesia has entered the most difficult phase of malaria control, particularly in regions with high endemicity and ongoing local transmission.

Planned activities include cross-programme and cross-sector coordination on vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, coordination meetings to align malaria case estimates for 2026–2029, as well as updates to policies and revisions of technical guidelines for malaria elimination. As detailed in the annex (page 2), virtual mentoring sessions are also scheduled to support malaria elimination efforts at the district level, including in Malaka and Lembata districts.

Research Associate from SHIELD PAPUA, Bimandra A. Djaafara, has been invited as a resource person on 31 March during the “Coordination Meeting on the Alignment of Positive Malaria Case Estimates and Testing Targets for 2026–2029.”

The involvement of experts from diverse backgrounds—including academia, public health practitioners, and development partners—is expected to strengthen both programme planning and implementation. Furthermore, the role of moderators in technical guidance sessions is essential to ensure effective discussions and the generation of practical, actionable recommendations.