Government Ensures Free Medical Checks Reach Remote Areas
By: Dhita Karuniawati
The Prabowo-Gibran government has created a policy of the Free Health Check (PKG) program for people throughout Indonesia. Free health checks are one of the programs of the Prabowo government that is highly anticipated by the public. The PKG program aims to improve the quality of health of the Indonesian people and reduce the burden of preventable diseases.
Free health checks cover various types of diseases that can be prevented through early detection. The PKG program also addresses urgent needs related to the high death rate due to diseases that could have been prevented.
The targets of free health checks are all Indonesian people from newborns to the elderly. The details are newborns (two days old), toddlers and children under five (1-6 years old), adults (18-59 years old), elderly or elderly (starting at 60 years old).
People who have birthdays are entitled to free health checks as a form of birthday gift from the government to the Indonesian people. In the initial stage of the free health check-up program, there were 10,000 health centers and 15,000 clinics. The government is targeting around 60 million people to benefit from this program and in the next five years. This program is expected to reach more than 200 million people. The public can have their health checked for free up to 30 days after their birthday, except for newborns within 24 hours of delivery.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that residents who have birthdays in January, February, March are still allowed to receive free health check-up services until April 2025.
Budi explained in more detail that for the group of newborns, they will undergo six health check-ups, then for toddlers there are eight types of health check-ups. Furthermore, for the group of elementary school children (SD) they will undergo 11 types of check-ups, followed by teenagers or those in junior high school (SMP) 13 types of check-ups, and for teenagers in high school (SMA) there are 12 types of check-ups. Finally, for the examination for the adult and elderly age groups, there will be 19 types of examinations that can be obtained from the free health check program.
The types of examinations in PKG vary widely, ranging from screening for hormone deficiencies, congenital heart disease, to nutritional, ear, eye, and blood pressure examinations. For adults and the elderly, the focus of the examination will include the risk of stroke, heart, cancer, and mental and physical health.
To make it easier for the public to register for PKG, the government has provided the Satu Sehat Mobile application. Expert Staff for Health Technology, Ministry of Health Setiaji said that the Satu Sehat application allows the public to register without having to queue at the Health Center.
To register, the public only needs to download the Satu Sehat Mobile application. After downloading the application, they will find the CKG (Free Health Check) feature. Before using this feature, make sure to fill in the profile in the application.
After filling in the profile, the public can register for a health check by selecting the examination date, which must be done H + 30 after the birthday. In addition, this application also allows users to register their family or children for the same examination.
For people who do not use the Satu Sehat Mobile application, there is an alternative registration via WhatsApp with the number 081110500567. The chatbot feature on this number will guide people in registering for PKG easily.
To ensure the smooth running of the free health check-up program, the Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Regent, Mayor, Governor and Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) is also ready to work with the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to make the free health check-up program a success.
The General Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Anindya Bakrie, said that the PKG program is very much in line with the role of Kadin. According to him, there are already routine Medical Check Up (MCU) activities at the Kadin office. Therefore, PKG is expected to be integrated into the existing MCU program.
Meanwhile, the Head of Communications for the Indonesian Presidential Office, Hasan Nasbi, highlighted the importance of the PKG program as the government’s commitment to providing health services to all Indonesian people.
Hasan said that entering the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, we are witnessing an extraordinary transformation in the health sector. The PKG program is a form of government commitment to ensure that all Indonesian people, without exception, can access free health checks.
