Jakarta. Indonesia has begun nationwide health screenings for students with the long-term goal of issuing student health report cards, mirroring practices in countries like Sweden and Norway that combine academic and physical assessments to support early intervention and long-term well-being.

The latest rollout of the Free Health Checks in Schools program, or Cek Kesehatan Gratis Sekolah (CKGS), is targeting more than 58 million students across primary and secondary schools. Launched Monday, the program includes physical evaluations, mental health screening, nutrition checks, and immunization tracking. Government officials, including those from the Health Ministry and the Presidential Communications Office, visited several schools in Greater Jakarta to monitor the implementation.

Speaking on Monday, Head of the Health Policy Agency at the Health Ministry, Asnawi Abdullah, said the government hopes to eventually create a structured student health report card system, similar to the Scandinavian models.

“Just like in Sweden and Norway, we hope students won’t just graduate with academic transcripts, but also health report cards,” Asnawi told state news agency Antara. “This will help families understand their children’s overall well-being and support a healthier, more productive generation.”

In Sweden, school health services (Elevhälsan) are mandated under the Education Act and include systematic health checks for students at key stages: Grades 1, 4, 7, and Year 1 of upper-secondary school. These include height and weight checks, vision and hearing screening, vaccinations, and mental health evaluations. The results are recorded in individualized student health records and help determine if further support is needed. Parents are typically informed but students can receive support confidentially once they are over 12 years old.

In Norway, the school health service (Skolehelsetjenesten) is integrated into the primary health care system and provides standardized health consultations at school entry (age 6), and later in Grades 3, 8, and 10. Services include physical and mental health evaluations, growth tracking, and preventive guidance on diet, hygiene, substance use, and emotional well-being. Nurses and doctors maintain a digital health record that follows the student throughout school and is linked to national health databases.

Indonesia’s current CKGS screenings for elementary students include 13 categories of health indicators: nutritional status, smoking behavior (Grades 5–6), physical activity (Grades 4–6), blood pressure, blood sugar, tuberculosis, hearing, vision, oral health, mental health, hepatitis B, reproductive health (Grades 4–6), and immunization records (Grade 1).

Mental health screenings are tailored by age group. Parents of primary school children complete questionnaires on their child’s well-being, while middle and high school students undergo direct screening for symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Chief Hasan Nasbi said the student screenings will serve as the foundation for a long-term digital health record system. All data will be integrated into the national medical record platform, which is part of Indonesia’s broader vision for intergenerational health tracking.

“With this program, we’re not just checking children’s health today, we’re building a health database that enables disease prevention, early diagnosis, and even tracing hereditary conditions,” Hasan concluded.

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