“When the number of our older adults is increasing and when our population is aging, then our elderly health services must be ready," the minister noted at the 2022 National Elderly Day (HLUN) webinar followed online from here on Friday.
Sadikin remarked that out of Indonesia’s total population of around 270 million, the number of older adults aged above 60 years reached over 23 million. The number is relatively lower as compared to other countries, as the percentage is still below 10 percent.
However, despite Indonesia being forecast to enjoy a demographic dividend dominated by a working-age population, the number of older adults in the country will continue to grow, starting from 2030.
As a result, when viewed from the government's perspective, he admitted that the increase in the number of older adults will have a significant impact on the health, social, or economic problems.
To this end, health facilities should be improved, especially pertaining to the screening service. The screening service should also focus on helping older adults maintain their health apart from treating the diseases they ail from.
The minister emphasized that in order to ensure that older adults remain healthy and strong, one of the efforts made by the Ministry of Health is launching the My Indonesia Health Application (ASIK).
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The application is a place to record older adults' health screening results, including outcomes of blood pressure checks, the condition of the body senses, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and so on.
According to Sadikin, health screening can be paid for through the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) Program. Thus, people will not be urged to pay again.
Sadikin expressed optimism that the continued improvement in health services would encourage older adults to regularly conduct health screening, so that the diseases that might be lurking within their bodies could be detected and treated early.
He also highlighted that all government programs required support from all parties in order to realize quality, healthy, and productive citizens.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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