Jakarta. Indonesia's nationwide free school health screening program has reached more than 8.8 million students this year, with early results showing widespread dental problems, anemia, and high blood pressure among schoolchildren, the government said on Wednesday.

The Free Health Check (CKG) program screened 8.82 million students at 96,567 schools across 511 regencies and cities between Jan. 1 and July 14, according to Kurnia Ramadhana, deputy for partnerships and media relations at the Government Communications Agency (Bakom RI).

The program covers children aged 7 to 17 attending elementary, junior high, and senior high schools; special-needs schools; and Islamic boarding schools. Health workers from local community health centers, known as puskesmas, conduct the screenings on school campuses according to scheduled visits.

"The program has served 8,824,185 students in 96,567 schools across 511 regencies and cities," Kurnia told a press conference in Jakarta.

Unlike routine medical checkups at hospitals, the CKG program provides basic preventive health screenings, particularly targeting people who have never undergone a medical examination. The initiative is one of Indonesia's largest public health programs and is expected to benefit around 218 million people through free health checks eventually.

The school-based screenings assess not only students' physical health but also their mental well-being as part of the government's effort to detect health problems at an early stage.

Examinations include assessments of physical activity, anemia among adolescent girls, vision, hearing, dental health, and mental health.

The government aims to screen 50.3 million students at 303,263 schools throughout 2026, including elementary, junior high, and senior high schools; Islamic boarding schools; and special-needs schools.

The Health Ministry's data from screenings conducted between Jan. 1 and July 14 found that 40.8% of students had dental cavities, making tooth decay the most common health issue detected.

Other findings showed 27.3% of adolescent girls were anemic, while 21.7% of students had high blood pressure. Screenings also found 6.9% of students had impacted earwax and 6.7% were obese.

Kurnia said the findings would help the government strengthen health promotion and disease prevention efforts in schools.

"The program provides significant benefits for students, parents, and schools," he said.

The school screening program was launched nationwide on Aug. 4, 2025, as part of the broader CKG initiative. By identifying health problems early, the government hopes to improve children's health, support learning outcomes, and promote healthier development.

The government has allocated Rp 2.6 trillion ($145 million) for the CKG program in 2026, targeting between 130.3 million and 136 million people across Indonesia through free health screenings.