Indonesia launched an annual free health screening on Monday, a $183 million initiative to prevent early deaths that the country’s health ministry said was its biggest ever undertaking.
Under the program, all Indonesians will eventually be entitled to a free screening on their birthday, the ministry said. The screening, which is not mandatory, includes blood pressure, tests to determine the risk of heart problems or stroke, and eye tests, the ministry said.
The program is initially targeting children under 6 and adults aged 18 and over, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told Reuters last week.
The leading causes of death in the world’s fourth most populous nation include stroke, heart disease, and tuberculosis, data from the World Health Organization shows.
Budi said the $184 million allocation for the program was about $62 million less than originally planned after President Prabowo Subianto ordered budget cuts to help fund election promises, including giving free meals to school children.
At a health center in Jakarta on Monday, about 30 people had signed up for the screening on the first day.
Teacher Ramika Dewi Saragih said she underwent checks on her breasts, cervix, eyes, and more and was not apprehensive. “I was really looking forward to this,” the 33-year-old said, adding that more people should take up the opportunity.
A health ministry spokesperson said the target for the checks this year was 100 million people.
Budi said the program was intended to promote preventive care as Indonesians tended to check for illnesses only when they already had them.
“Our culture is checking when we’re already sick … that cuts closest to the grave,” he said.
He said the program was the biggest the ministry had ever undertaken, surpassing COVID-19 vaccinations.
Budi added the screening, which is to be rolled out at more than 20,000 health centers and clinics, also includes mental health tests to determine signs of depression or anxiety.
Researchers at the University of Indonesia’s Economic and Social Research Institute warned the program could risk burdening the country’s already-strained local health centers, citing uneven distribution of drugs or doctors.
