Makassar. The government is confident about getting at least 130 million Indonesians to participate in nationwide health screening this year, as international loans funded the country’s medical equipment for follow-up care.

The initiative allows Indonesians to get a free-but-not-mandatory screening on their birthday as the populous country tries to save citizens from preventable early deaths and slash medical costs. The government is also encouraging the participants to seek treatment for the diseases diagnosed during the check-up.

As of Oct. 13, the screening has reached 106.3 million individuals, or nearly 82% of the full-year target of 130 million people, government data showed.

Tiodora Sidabutar, who leads the Health Ministry's foreign loans team, said on Wednesday that everything was on track.

“We only have about two and a half months left, but we are optimistic of hitting the annual target,” Tiodora told the press in Makassar’s Puskesmas Minasa Upa, while saying that the “presence of adequate equipment [for the follow-up care] is vital as the number of check-ups grows”.

Over the past few years, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been bankrolling Indonesia’s healthcare sector. 

In 2023, ADB greenlit a $350 million loan to boost Indonesia’s primary care services in a program known as SEHAT. The Manila-based lender unveiled a separate $650 million investment loan to upgrade the country’s healthcare facilities and labs under a program dubbed PLUS later that year. Part of the money has gone into equipping the so-called puskesmas with modern medical devices. 

Puskesmas refers to the community health centers spread across the archipelago to provide affordable health solutions. The national health insurance BPJS Kesehatan covers many treatments in such facilities. 

Thanks to the ADB money, Puskesmas Minasa Upa now has a new dental chair, which comes in handy as the screening rollouts expose how prevalent dental problems are nationwide. Bintang Allu Mapparenta was among the many patients at the ADB-backed clinic. The 23-year-old woman found out she had two cavities when she took part in the screening.  

“I’m satisfied with the services here. I could even get the dental filling for free with BPJS,” Bintang said, shortly after her treatment.

ADB Country Director for Indonesia Bobur Alimov admitted that he was happy to see the government “putting a lot of resources in strengthening the services” after touring the clinic.

“All [Indonesian] puskesmas should meet the minimum standards in terms of equipment, skill sets, and resources,” Alimov told reporters.

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