Jakarta – The success of the national Free Health Check (CKG) program is attributed to the high level of public involvement in utilizing government-provided health screening services. As of early May 2026, the program had reached 100 million Indonesians through more than 10,000 Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) across 514 regencies and cities across Indonesia.
The government cited this achievement as evidence of growing public awareness of the importance of early detection of health conditions. The CKG program, which has been running since last year, has seen a significant increase in the number of participants in recent months.
The Head of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency, Muhammad Qodari, stated that the increase in participants has been quite rapid since entering 2026. According to him, public enthusiasm for participating in free health checks continues to show a positive trend.
“During 2025, the CKG program served more than 70 million people. Entering 2026, as of early May, the number of participants had again increased by more than 30 million. Thus, the total number of CKG service recipients has now reached 100 million people, spread across more than 10,000 community health centers (Puskesmas) in 514 regencies and cities across Indonesia,” said Muhammad Qodari.
In addition to targeting the general public, the government is also expanding health checks for school-age children. This step is being carried out through mass health screenings in various schools throughout Indonesia to identify children’s health conditions early on.
“For school-age children, based on data from January 1 to May 3, 2026, the Ministry of Health has conducted health checks on 4.8 million students in approximately 48,000 schools across Indonesia,” he said.
From these screenings, the government discovered an increase in cases of high blood pressure among school-age children. This finding is considered a serious concern because previously, this condition was more common in adults.
“As many as 22.1 percent, or around 663,000 children, were detected with elevated blood pressure. This is a new phenomenon because cases of high blood pressure are now starting to be found in children,” he said.
The government hopes the CKG program will help the public detect disease risks early so that medical treatment can be initiated before the condition worsens. In addition to general health checks, the government is also strengthening tuberculosis (TB) management by improving health service facilities at community health centers (Puskesmas).
“Strengthening disease detection at Puskesmas continues. The government will increase support for Near Point of Care Testing (NPOCD) equipment and X-ray examination services, which will begin in the second semester of this year,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, emphasized the importance of fostering a culture of regular health check-ups within the community. The government believes that prevention and early detection are the most effective steps to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve the quality of health for the Indonesian people.