DPR Hopes Free Medical Check Up Gift Program Prioritizes Underprivileged People

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX DPR RI Arzeti Bilbina welcomed the Government's plan to provide free health screening for people who have their birthdays in 2025. Even so, he reminded that all health facilities (faskes) were ready to be included in the 3TP area (Disadvantaged, Frontier, Outermost and Border).

"Basically we see this program as positive, yes. But the Government must pay attention to and address the disparities of health facilities in various regions, especially in remote areas where there is still a shortage of medical personnel and health infrastructure," said Arzeti, Monday, November 4.

The idea of a free health screening program or Medical Check Up (MCU) for people who are on their birthday starting in 2025 was sparked when Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin held a working meeting with Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives last week. The program is proposed as an effort to improve early detection and disease prevention.

Arzeti said this program aims well but requires maximum readiness.

"In addition to ensuring that doctors at health facilities are met, the facilities and infrastructure should no longer be inequality. The quality of health facilities and adequate medical personnel must be available to all corners of the country," he said.

The Center for Indonesia Institute's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) in the White Book of the Development of the Indonesian Health Sector 2024-2034: Designing the Future of Health Policies and Services outlines the issue of inequality in the distribution of health workers in Indonesia being the most significant problem at this time.

Based on data from the Ministry of Health, it is known that there are still primary health services that do not have doctors as of June 2023. To be precise, there are 4.17% of health centers in the country that do not yet have doctors.

Then as many as 45% of puskesmas are incomplete, they have nine types of health workers including doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, mass workers, sanitarians, lab workers, and nutrition workers). At the referral health service level, 38.48% of hospitals at the Regency/City level are also incomplete regarding 7 types of specialist doctors.

"Looking at the data, the Government needs to improve the distribution of medical personnel by providing incentives for doctors and other medical personnel who are willing to work in remote areas," explained Arzeti.

The purpose of the MCU is free for the community itself, which is said to ensure that public health can be monitored early. The DPR encourages this program to be enjoyed by all Indonesian people, both from cities to regions.

"The Indonesian people are not only in big cities but also in 3TP areas. We have to make sure they get the same rights," said Arzeti.

Furthermore, the Commission in the DPR in charge of health affairs also asked the Government to provide training programs for local medical personnel to ensure they have the necessary skills. Arzeti said the quality of health workers would be one of the factors in the success of the free MCU program.

"The training is carried out so that medical workers have the skills needed to support the success of the health screening program. The use of technology is also very much needed in today's digital era," said Arzeti.

"For example, by utilizing telemedicine technology to provide remote health services for areas that are difficult to reach," continued the legislator from the East Java IV electoral district.