Minister Of Health Affirms Free Health Checks Can Reach Students In Remote Areas

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, emphasized that the Free Health Check (CKG) program for students will reach remote parts of the country, including remote and outermost parts of Indonesia. This program is one of President Prabowo Subianto's priority initiatives in the health sector.

"For remote areas there are no significant obstacles. We have 10 thousand health centers spread across all sub-districts and sub-districts," said Budi Gunadi Sadikin while giving a public lecture at the Opening of Campus Life for New Students (PKKMB) at Padang State University, West Sumatra, Monday.

He explained, in West Sumatra, this program will reach the outermost areas such as the Mentawai Islands Regency which is directly adjacent to the Indian Ocean. This step is taken to ensure that all students, without exception, get adequate basic health services.

The Ministry of Health targets 52 million students to receive CKG services in the next five years. The program targets include elementary, junior high, high school, and madrasas students under the Ministry of Religion and People's Schools under the Ministry of Social Affairs, which are spread over around 282,000 educational units throughout Indonesia.

"My target is, for the next five years, all 52 million students have felt the benefits of CKG," said the Minister of Health.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Pratikno, added that CKG services for students are part of a strategy to build superior human resources early on. This program goes hand in hand with other initiatives such as Free Nutrition Food (MBG), school revitalization, and learning digitization.

According to Pratikno, the combination of health, nutrition and education programs will strengthen the foundations of the younger generation of Indonesia to be healthier, smarter, and more competitive in the future.