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Final preparations underway for free health screenings
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin says the official launch of the free check-ups is contingent upon the inauguration of new regional heads, which the Home Ministry has said will take place at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Feb. 6.
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Envisioning wellness: An eye doctor examines a patient during a free public health screening event in Dangin Puri Kauh village, Denpasar, Bali, on March 27, 2024. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
I
ndonesia is just moments away from launching its free health screenings, as the Health Ministry has confirmed their availability starting in February.
Speaking to journalists last week, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the official launch of the free check-ups is contingent upon the inauguration of new regional heads, which the Home Ministry has said will take place at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Feb. 6.
“We have introduced our free health screenings initiative to governors, mayors, regents and heads of health, education and religious affairs agencies from areas across Indonesia. But as we know Pak Prabowo [Subianto] wants the program running after our new regional heads are in place,” the minister said.
“Our apparatus are the regional heads. Without regional heads’ support, program execution will be difficult. If we launch the program now, we’ll have to start over when the new regional heads arrive. So let’s wait for the inauguration to proceed,” he continued.
Budi explained last-minute preparations for the free health screenings initiative during a Wednesday press briefing about the implementation of the Health Ministry’s Quick Win program, which includes progress toward TB elimination and the upgrading of Type D hospitals to achieve the quality of Type C hospitals.
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To support the rollout of the screenings, the government has taken steps to allocate sufficient budget and boost infrastructure capacities for an effective program implementation.
