Deputy Health Minister Says Free Health Checks Will Start Next Month in Jakarta

January 14, 2025 | 08:06 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono said the free health screening or check-up program will begin with several pilot projects located in Jakarta. The inauguration of the program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto is planned to be carried out next month at the Tebet community health center (Puskesmas), South Jakarta.

"There are several pilot projects in Jakarta that we are starting, later the inauguration will be at the Tebet health center, if I'm not mistaken. Hopefully it won't change," he said when met at the BKKBN office, East Jakarta on Monday, January 13, 2025.

According to Dante, the program will later be brought from big cities to remote areas that are more in need. However, he said, this was done after reviewing the readiness in the targeted areas.

His party is targeting the program to be implemented in all health centers spread across Indonesia. Even so, the process of involving the health centers in question will be carried out in stages.

Meanwhile, for private clinics, his party will still conduct further discussions. "We will discuss it later, but for now it is for public facilities," he said.

Furthermore, he revealed several types of diseases that can be identified through free check-ups. These types of diseases, he said, are grouped based on the quantity of cases that occur in each age group.

"For example, in infants, congenital diseases or hereditary diseases, such as congenital hypothyroidism or congenital hypothyroidism. Then there are several other diseases, we also identify them," he said.

Then for adolescents, he continued, diseases that can be checked through free screening are comorbid diseases related to lifestyle, such as hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes, then high cholesterol. Comorbid is a condition when someone has two or more diseases at the same time.

"For the elderly (elderly) it is also the same, including identification of certain cancers, then identification for dementia or Alzheimer's, heart health, and so on," said Dante.

He considered that the classification was needed to narrow the focus on diseases that are mostly suffered by each age group. "So each age group will have its own priorities," he said.

Previously, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that in general, there are three health components that will be checked in free screening, namely blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fat or cholesterol. Budi stated that the screening program is aimed at preventing diseases that cause the highest death in Indonesia, namely stroke and heart disease.

According to Budi, by conducting checks, more patients will be able to find out and treat their health problems early at the health center. "No need to get a stroke, cancer, dialysis, all sorts of things if this is measured. As long as the screening is free. Well, this is what we actually want to pursue first," he said when met at his office on Thursday, January 9, 2025.

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