JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto is set to offer a complimentary health check-up program, targeting 55 million Citizens starting from 2025.  ,
The program, part of the government’s broader healthcare changes, will focus on key health measures such as blood pressure, blood sugar, lactic acid, and early identification of serious diseases.
” Next year, 55 million Indonesians will undergo free medical check-ups”, said Burhanuddin Abdullah, Mr Prabowo’s Economic Advisor and Chairman of the Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team’s Board of Experts, as quoted by CNN Indonesia on Wednesday ( Sep 25 ).
This ambitious wellness program is in line with the government’s efforts to combat TB, which remains a significant public health issue in Indonesia. Now, the country ranks second worldwide for TB cases, with about 100, 000 people dying from the disorder each year.
In its first phase, the gratis medical check-up program will prioritize people over the age of 50 as well as those who are perceived as higher risk of contracting TB or other serious illnesses. Over the next five decades, the system may grow to cover an estimated 200 million people.
Mr Hasan Nasbi, mind of the National Communications Office, revealed in an interview with Kompas Television that Mr Prabowo’s government has earmarked a total of 5 trillion ringgit ( US$ 330 million ) from the 2025 review State Budget to fund the Free Medical Check-up system and strengthen healthcare facilities.  ,
Of this, 3.3 trillion ringgit is particularly allocated for the check-up action, while 1.7 trillion ringgit will be directed towards expanding care infrastructure, including the construction of new facilities, Mr Hasan said.  ,
He continued,” The initiatives are not just about treating but also about promoting preventive care and healthy living among Indonesians.” The program aims to lower the Social Security Agency for Health ( BPJS Kesehatan ), which currently covers a sizable portion of the population’s health care costs, by encouraging early detection and routine health monitoring.
” Good health is a cornerstone for building a healthier, more productive generation”, Mr Hasan said. ” The free medical check-up program is a vital step towards safeguarding the health of Indonesia’s human resources” . ,
However, despite Mr. Prabowo’s lofty objectives, questions remain about how it will integrate with the country’s current healthcare system.
Director-general of Indonesia’s national health care agency BPJS Kesehatan, Mr. Ali Ghufron Mukti, highlighted that health screening programs were already being offered and are made available annually to all participants in the National Health Insurance scheme ( JKN).  ,
Discussions with Mr. Prabowo’s incoming administration are ongoing, according to Mr. Ali, and it is not yet known whether BPJS Kesehatan will be responsible for overseeing the new national health care program or managing its payment plans.
However, health experts have expressed cautious optimism about the program, and some have endorsed it as a crucial preventative measure intended to stop the decline in public health standards.
By focusing on preventive care, Mr. Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist from Griffith University in Australia, claimed the state could lower costs for BPJS Kesehatan beneficiaries in particular by funding treatments.  ,
According to him,” Preventing diseases is not only beneficial for public health but also helps avoid overcrowding the national healthcare budget,” according to he as quoted by detikHealth.