Dio Suhenda, Andi Hajramurni, and Yulia Savitri, Jakarta/Makassar/Palembang – President Prabowo Subianto's free birthday health screening program has seen low participation nationwide one month after its official launch on Feb. 10, raising questions about its target of reaching 100 million people by the end of the year.
The program, which has been made available to children up to 6 years old and adults over 18, aims to improve both health care and health awareness, as official data reveal that many of the country's 280 million people have never had a basic health check-up.
According to the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey, nearly 40 percent of the population has never been screened for noncommunicable diseases (NCD) such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, which are the leading causes of death in the country. The program will also check for specific diseases and health conditions based on the beneficiary's age and gender.
To gain access to the program, citizens must register through health service app Satu Sehat Mobile and activate their National Health Insurance membership at least one month before their birthday. They may then go to community health centers (Puskesmas) or government-partnered clinics for the birthday screenings.
Health authorities in regions including North Sumatra, Palembang, South Sulawesi and Bali have been promoting the program through puskesmas employees and social media, yet public enthusiasm remains low, with some citing the complicated registration process as a reason they are not interested in participating in the program.
Sophia Qadarsih, the head of the Jongaya Puskesmas in Makassar in South Sulawesi, said only 52 people had signed up for the check-up program since its launch last month. In contrast, the health facility had, in February alone, served over 1,800 people through other programs that also included medical check-ups.
"I think because this is a new program, the public hasn't responded to it yet," Sophia said on Friday, adding that the puskesmas had disseminated information about the birthday health screening.
Hasnawati, a 54-year-old visitor to the puskesmas, said she had just found out about the program but was hesitant to participate as she had to sign up using a smartphone, which she rarely used.
"I came to the clinic for [another] NCD check-up program, which is also free. I only need to bring my ID card, and I also received my medicine afterwards," she said.
In Palembang, South Sumatra, meanwhile, a 39-year-old street vendor named Lisa was surprised to learn about the free health screening, saying she had no way of accessing information about the program.
"It would be great if I could get the free check-up, since my birthday is in early February, but I don't know how to get more information [about the program]. I don't even know how to sign up," she said.
Erfiana Umar, head of the Merdeka Puskesmas in Palembang, said the health center had proactively handed out invitations to citizens and shared information about the program by text message.
"Our facilities are also complete. The only problem is that people [just aren't showing up]," she said.
In Bali, only 4,000 people have enrolled across the island's 120 puskesmas, less than a tenth of a percent of its total population. In North Sumatra, over 12,000 people have registered through the app, but only around 10,000 have shown up.
Nationwide, around 300,000 people have signed up for the free birthday medical check-up program, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati. This is far from the government's target of 100 million people this year and 280 million people by the end of Prabowo's presidency in 2029.
To address the low turnout, Widyawati said the ministry planned to ramp up community outreach efforts.
"It will be like what we did with the COVID-19 vaccination drive, when there was a lot of initiative, even from people outside of the government. In the coming weeks, we will do a few pilot projects involving the private sector and mass organizations in Jakarta," she said last week.
Aside from the low turnout, several clinics have also reported technical difficulties in implementing the free health screening program because of limited supplies and manpower.
In Medan, for instance, an official at the city's Health Agency, Elsa Dodolang, told the Post that an insufficient stock of single-use medical supplies had prevented several clinics from administering the check-ups in line with national guidelines.
Indonesian Puskesmas Association (APKESMI) secretary general Ekasakti Octohariyanto told lawmakers during a meeting last week that most puskesmas throughout the country faced similar issues.
These findings, Ekasakti went on to say, were based on a quick survey the association did, which interviewed respondents from 1,095 puskesmas from 38 of the country's provinces. There are a total of 10,416 puskesmas nationwide.
"We truly do feel that medical supplies in puskesmas remain very limited, and this could really hinder the implementation of the free health screening program," he said.