"The Free Health Check program provides early screening for four cancers in adults, including one cancer in children," director of prevention and control of non-communicable diseases at the ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, informed during a discussion on Wednesday.
The four cancers include cervical and breast cancers, which have the highest prevalence among women.
The screenings also cover colon cancer and lung cancer in men as well as retina examinations for children under one to detect the risk of retinoblastoma cancer, Tarmizi informed.
"Other examinations include anemia and thalassemia examinations in children. That way, we can carry out early detection for cancer in children," she explained.
She said that the Free Health Checks can be easily accessed by the public at the nearest health center and are available for all groups ranging from two-day-old children to the elderly.
According to Tarmizi, the government has gradually begun to provide cancer detection facilities and infrastructure at health centers down to the district/city level,
They include HPV DNA facilities for cervical cancer detection, ultrasounds for breast cancer detection, fast scans for colon cancer screening, and X-ray or spirometry for lung cancer checks, she disclosed.
"We are also gradually providing mammography in several districts/cities along with fast scans for better health facilities," she added.
The Free Health Check program is expected to support the early detection of cancer so that the disease can be treated in the early stages.
"Hopefully, if we detect early and we continue the diagnosis, we can handle it at the early stages," Tarmizi said.
The government officially launched the Free Health Check program on February 10, 2025, and aims to improve the quality of public health through the early detection of various diseases.
It is the largest health program run by the Ministry of Health and is targeting 280 million Indonesians.
The program has been divided into three types, namely birthday health checks, given on birthdays or within 30 days afterward; health checks, provided at schools for those aged 7–17 years; and special health checks for pregnant women and toddlers.
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Translator: Farhan Arda, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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