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ariyono Andri Winoto, 47, his wife Endang Hartati, 44, and their two teenage daughters were among the first few hundred Jakarta residents to receive a new card that will give them free access to medical services at Jakarta’s community health centers and municipal hospitals.

The family received the cards from Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during a launch ceremony in the densely populated area of Pademangan Timur in North Jakarta on Saturday.

Pariyono and Endang — a security officer at a factory and a stay-at-home mother — were all smiles as they received their Jakarta Health Cards on a small stage set up among makeshift houses overlooking a small murky canal.

“I hope this will be really beneficial for our family. We have been relying on our local community health center for medical services,” Endang told The Jakarta Post in one of the neighborhood’s narrow alleys after the simple ceremony.

Jokowi said that besides providing accessible medical services to the people, the healthcare program was also aimed at promoting a better image of hospitals in the eyes of the poor. “The poor should no longer dread going to the hospital, because through this program all [medical services] are covered,” the governor said.

In order to obtain the card, citizens are expected to report to their local community health centers, or puskesmas, and show valid ID cards. “However, you don’t need to rush to the puskesmas now. It will take a while to provide and distribute the cards, please be patient,” Jokowi said.

Jokowi has been in office for less than a month after being inaugurated in the middle of October. “The reason I launched the program so soon is to try out immediately this healthcare system. We will have more time to optimize the system for better healthcare in the future,” he said.

In his plan, the governor expects that by 2013, about 4.7 million Jakartans, be they rich or poor, will have the cards that will entitle them to free health services in all community health centers or third-class facilities in hospitals across the capital.

At the launch, a total of 497 cards were distributed in Pademangan Timur, 502 cards in Bukit Duri and 505 cards in Manggarai in South Jakarta, 503 cards in Tanah Tinggi in Central Jakarta, 494 in Marunda in North Jakarta and 504 in Tambora in West Jakarta.

City Health Agency chief Dien Emmawati said that as of Saturday all 340 puskesmas and 88 hospitals in the city had begun providing free healthcare. The hospitals include six run by the city and private hospitals that are cooperating with the administration. “There will be no charge for registration, medical attention, medicine and inpatient services,” Dien said.

The Jakarta Health Card program is expected to serve as a model for the implementation of the central government’s plans for universal health coverage by 2014. The health card scheme was one of Jokowi’s campaign platforms that he promoted with running mate Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama during the gubernatorial race. He claimed the program had been a success in Surakarta where he served as mayor for about six years.

The new administration expects to spend about Rp 2.9 trillion (US$301 million) on health next year. Most of the funds will be used to finance the health card scheme, which is estimated to cost Rp 900 billion.