TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dozens of posts claiming that eating catfish causes kidney failure have been widely circulating on social media. This narrative originated from a statement by the Director General of BPJS Kesehatan, Ali Ghufron Mukti, on March 15, 2025, which highlighted a surge in claims costs for chronic kidney failure from Rp6.5 trillion in 2019 to Rp11 trillion in 2024.
Ali linked reports that nearly 100 percent of catfish are injected with antibiotics as one of the triggers for kidney failure. This statement was then quoted by a content creator in a video featuring a woman in a white coat resembling a medical professional. This video went viral on X [archive], Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok starting March 15, 2026.
But is it true that catfish consumption is the cause of the increasing number of chronic kidney failure cases in Indonesia?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified this claim by interviewing fish farming experts and searching for credible news reports. The results showed no data linking catfish to chronic kidney failure. Furthermore, antibiotic use in catfish is very rare and not administered by injection.
Diabetes and Hypertension Main Triggers for Kidney Failure
In a report by CNBC and Detik, BPJS Kesehatan President Director Ali Ghufron Mukti went beyond catfish. He stated that approximately 30 percent of chronic kidney failure cases are actually triggered by diabetes and hypertension.
Ali also highlighted consumption patterns that exacerbate the risk, such as fruits with added coloring and the continuous use of medications. By 2025, the number of kidney failure patients is expected to reach 640,000. The Ministry of Health explains that excessive consumption of sugar, salt, and fat (GGL) triggers obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, which can lead to kidney disease, stroke, and heart disease.
Internal medicine specialist at Surabaya General Hospital, RA Adaninggar Primadia Nariswari, emphasized that the main causes of kidney failure in adults are diabetes and hypertension. Other factors include kidney stones, autoimmune diseases, kidney inflammation, and uncontrolled use of painkillers.
"There's no data that catfish cause kidney disease," she told Tempo on Friday, April 24, 2026.
Adaninggar explained that the likelihood of antibiotic residues in catfish damaging the kidneys is small. This is because not all antibiotics are nephrotoxic (kidney-damaging), and their use requires a specific dosage. If a person's kidneys are damaged, they likely have underlying conditions such as diabetes or uncontrolled hypertension.
"So the possibility of kidney failure due to antibiotics from catfish is very remote," she said.
Catfish Farming Lacks Antibiotics
Veryl Hasan, a lecturer in Aquaculture at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences at Airlangga University, stated that antibiotic use in catfish is very rare, estimated at less than two percent. "So far, antibiotic use has been very strict and limited to emergency situations such as disease outbreaks," he told Tempo on Tuesday, April 22, 2026.
Veryl explained that farmers do not administer antibiotics through injections. Besides being expensive, this method is ineffective for thousands of fish in a single pond. Antibiotics are usually administered by immersion for several minutes before rinsing and releasing the fish. "It's impossible to inject thousands of catfish individually," he said.
Inappropriate antibiotic use actually harms farmers because it triggers bacterial resistance in the fish. Veryl emphasized that catfish are a relatively safe and healthy fishery product due to the minimal use of these chemicals.
Previously, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) stated that the injection method is only used for vaccines, not antibiotics. Antibiotic use must be followed at the correct dosage and observe the withdrawal period before harvest to ensure food safety.
KKP residue tests in 2023 and 2024 in various production centers, such as West Java, East Java, and Central Java, found no residues of oxytetracycline or chloramphenicol antibiotics in catfish samples.
CONCLUSION
Based on a fact check, the claim that kidney failure cases are caused by antibiotics injected into catfish is misleading.
TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM
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