Indonesia will introduce free medical screenings next month as part of the country's effort to detect various diseases early and avoid preventable deaths according to the government.
Presidential communication office spokesperson Dedek Prayudi said people would be eligible for a free health screening on their birthday at Community health centres starting from February 2025.
People can go to their nearest community health centre to get the free health checkup, Mr Prayudi said. "It's easy and it would cost a lot of money if paid for from their own pocket."
The government has allocated IDR4.7tn ($451.7m) for the programme this year, which will cover 60m people accessing the service. The government says it hopes that over five years the number of recipients will increase to 200m people.
The primary focus of the free health checkups will be on screening people for noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
According to socioeconomic registration figures from 2023, noncommunicable diseases are the biggest cause of death in Indonesia, with cardiovascular diseases accounting for 600,000 deaths a year.
Apart from noncommunicable diseases, the health screenings will target specific diseases and medical conditions depending on a patient's age and gender for increased effectiveness and to reduce mortality and disability.
Children under five years of age will be tested for preexisting conditions and birth defects, such as congenital hypothyroidism, a partial or complete loss of function of the thyroid gland that can disrupt growth, brain development and metabolism. Older children aged up to 18 years will be checked for obesity, diabetes and oral health, while screenings for adults will test for common types of cancers based on gender.
Elderly people will be screened for geriatric medical conditions, in addition to cardiovascular diseases.