When white patches began appearing on Fajar Maulana’s skin, his father, Budi Nurochman, grew increasingly concerned. At the time, Fajar was 16 and studying at a boarding school in Cileungsi. The spots had started to spread across his body, and although he still felt physically fit, his confidence was fading.
“Fajar started to feel really insecure,” Budi recalls. “He asked to be checked. His body was still strong, but the white patches were everywhere.”
The signs had actually begun earlier, when Fajar was in the ninth grade. He remembers struggling to walk, his joints aching and his ears swelling. “My joints felt like they were being electrocuted when I bumped into something,” he says.
At first, they sought help from a skin specialist at a hospital, but the treatment didn’t help. Eventually, they turned to the health facility nearby their home, Puskesmas Sirnajaya in Bekasi, West Java.
The diagnosis came as a shock: leprosy. Fajar broke down in tears. “I was afraid this disease couldn’t be cured,” he remembers.
However, his father never wavered. Every month, Budi rode his motorbike 45 minutes each way to pick Fajar up from school and take him to the health centre for check-ups. “The health workers told him not to feel ashamed,” Budi says. “And we, his family, supported him all the way.”
Fajar began treatment immediately. At first, he had to take six pills at once. The medicine caused side effects: his urine turned red, and he felt exhausted after just a few minutes of exercise. But he stayed disciplined, and Budi kept his unwavering support.
After a full month of taking the medicine, Fajar’s leprosy was no longer contagious. Now, after 10 months of treatment, he sometimes feels itchy, something the health workers say is a good sign that healing is underway.
On 23 July 2025, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin visited Bekasi and met families with leprosy, including the Nurochmans. He emphasized the importance of early detection and family support in fighting leprosy. “Leprosy can be cured, and the medicine is free,” the Minister said. “But because of stigma, people are afraid to report it. That’s why it often gets discovered too late.”
In 2024, Indonesia reported nearly 15 000 new leprosy cases, with West Java among the highest. In Bekasi, Sirnajaya village had 24 new cases in 2024 and 17 in the first half of 2025.
To stop the spread, the Ministry of Health works with the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide free medicines and preventive treatment for people living close to someone with leprosy. Each year, WHO procures around US$ 800 000 worth of medicines and preventive doses for Indonesia.
Budi himself took the preventive treatment that day. “I hope to be protected from leprosy, so I can continue to provide the best for Fajar and his siblings,” he says.
Now 17 and close to completing his 12-month treatment, Fajar has graduated from boarding school and looks to the future with hope. His message to others is simple: “If you see white patches on your skin, don’t assume it’s just ringworm or a fungal infection. Don’t take it lightly, go to the health centre right away.”
His journey shows that with early treatment, strong family support and the right information, leprosy doesn’t have to be a life sentence. And sometimes, it’s the family’s determination that makes all the difference.
This activity was supported by the Sasakawa Health Foundation.
Written by Bunga Manggiasih, National Professional Officer (Communication), WHO Indonesia