Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono called for support from public relations (PR) officers at ministries and agencies to disseminate information and boost public participation in the government's Free Health Screening (CKG) program.
"I hope that government public relations officers can become initiators of community-based CKG activities in their respective offices," he said in a statement cited on Thursday.
This was conveyed by the deputy minister at the 2025 Thematic Forum of the Public Relations Coordination Agency (Bakohumas) in Jakarta on Wednesday, attended by 120 participants from various ministries and agencies.
On that occasion, he noted that since its launch in February 2025, the free screening program has so far reached 63.2 million participants.
The deputy minister asserted the importance of early detection against diseases, noting that many people still have low awareness of getting their health checked. He explained that heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes remain the leading causes of death and often show no symptoms.
To this end, he continued, the Indonesian government is strengthening promotional and preventive approaches through early detection, including via the CKG program.
Harbuwono also highlighted health challenges in the workplace, including low physical activity and rising obesity among adults.
In this regard, the Ministry of Health is open to collaboration with agencies that wish to bring the CKG service to their workplaces.
Closing his remarks, Harbuwono invited all government PR staff to become the driving force in promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The Indonesian government started the CKG program on February 10, 2025, aimed at improving the health quality of Indonesians, in line with the Asta Cita missions of President Prabowo Subianto.
With a target of reaching the entire Indonesian population of about 280 million citizens, the health screening program is one of the largest health programs in the world, operating on the principle of leaving no one behind.
The health screening services, which include mental health, dental health, tuberculosis, and cancer screenings, started at community health centers (puskesmas) for the general public before expanding to schools on August 4, 2025, directly targeting roughly 53 million students.
