Indonesia launched a program yesterday for free medical checkups for 60 million people, fulfilling an election promise by President Prabowo Subianto.
Indonesians of all ages can now benefit from annual checkups aimed at the early detection of cardiovascular diseases, congenital disorders in children, and other conditions, health officials said.
The program is one of several social protection promises made during Prabowo’s election campaign. It is an addition to the free meal program launched in January to combat developmental delays caused by malnutrition.
Under the medical program, children up to six years old and adults aged 18 and older will have access to a free annual medical checkup within 30 days of their birth date.
Students aged 7 to 17 will also receive free medical checkups in schools starting in July.
It is expected that the free medical checkup program will gradually become available to all Indonesian citizens, about 280 million people.
Indonesia already offers free healthcare. The state funds hospitalization for poor citizens and treatment by doctors, but this does not include annual checkups.
The government has allocated 4.7 trillion rupiahs (278 million euros) in the 2025 state budget to fund this program, the presidential palace announced.
According to 2023 data from the Ministry of Health, stroke is the leading cause of death in Indonesia, followed by heart attack.
