Commission E Secretary Urges Residents to Participate in Free Health Checks

Jakarta City Council Commission E Secretary, Justim Adrian encourages residents to take advantage of the national free health check program for early disease detection and healthy lifestyle.

This is important in Jakarta

According to him, the health of individuals also impacts the health of the nation as a whole. He cited, the warning from the Health Minister in 2019 regarding obesity cases could have an impact on the financial condition of the Social Security Agency (BPJS).

In the case of obesity, he recalled how in 2019, the Health Minister warned that BPJS Kesehatan could incur losses by Rp 30 trillion due to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.

21 Patients Enjoy Free Health Checks in Tanah Abang

"Here, community participation in free health checks becomes important," he expressed, Wednesday (2/12).

He explained residents could contribute to easing the burden on BPJS Kesehatan. Thus, BPJS funds could be allocated to other productive and beneficial programs for all Indonesian citizens.

"If Jakarta residents can participate in this service, they can also help the country and the nation to lighten the burden of BPJS Kesehatan," he explained.

Thereby, he welcomed this free program. It is very important considering the high prevalence of health risks in the capital.

"This is important in Jakarta so that people can know the condition of their bodies, whether they are healthy or not," he explained.

He added Jakarta is a city with a high prevalence of health risk in Indonesia. According to data from the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) 2023, 40 percent of Jakarta's residents aged 15 and older are obese.

In the same year, a survey by Katadata found that 12.6 percent of Jakarta's population has hypertension. These two diseases are examples of symptoms arising from an unhealthy and irregular lifestyle.

"Hopefully, they can change their lifestyle to be healthier before their illness relapses and becomes severe in the future," he added.

He also highlighted the importance of widely socializing free health check, especially to those who have difficulty accessing information such as the elderly and people with disabilities.

He suggested that the Jakarta Government could collaborate with community leaders who are close to the residents to help disseminate information about this program.

"This program shows that the government cares about the health of its residents. It should be socialized as widely as possible, as it is beneficial for many people," he added.

As information, this free health check aims to detect diseases that residents may suffer from early, while also providing education regarding treatment and efforts to maintain health.

The Jakarta Government has also prepared medical personnel and facilities that are integrated with primary services.