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Govt to roll out free health screening next month
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An elderly woman gets her blood tested during a drive to provide medical checkups for hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes at an integrated services post (posyandu) in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on Dec. 15, 2021. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto’s administration is planning to roll out free medical screenings next month as part of the country’s effort to detect various diseases early and avoid preventable deaths.
Dedek Prayudi, a spokesperson for the Presidential Communications Office, said that people would be eligible for a free health screening on their birthday at Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) starting from February.
“People can go to their nearest Puskesmas and show their ID card to get the free health checkup. It's easy and it would cost a lot of money if paid for from their own pocket,” Dedek said in a statement on Sunday.
“The President wants people to stay healthy. His perspective on health is not just treating sick people, as promotive and preventive efforts are much more important," Dedek said.
The government has allocated Rp 4.7 trillion (US$290 million) for the program this year, which will cover 60 million people accessing the service.
Over the course of five years, the government is hoping to increase the number of recipients to 200 million people.
The primary focus of the free health checkups, Dedek said, will be on screening people for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
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