Prabowo Defends Free Medical Check-Up Program: 'Not Populist, It's Rational'

January 23, 2026 | 04:46 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto backs Indonesia's free medical check-up program, calling it a "rational program."

Prabowo reasons that the program is not designed simply to attract support from citizens. "We are providing free medical check-ups to all citizens of Indonesia. This is not a populist program. This is a rational program to save money," he says while delivering his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026, held in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Prabowo mentions that the program has benefited 70 million Indonesians with free medical check-ups. The president says Indonesian citizens are entitled to free health checks once a year for their entire lifetime.

The free medical check-up also reduces the burden of long-term medical expenses through early detection of diseases. With this measure, the government can avoid larger budget expenditures to treat diseases at an advanced stage.

Prabowo adds that the program will bolster productivity. Citing studies by experts, Prabowo claims the program could potentially save the state budget up to billions of US dollars "in the long run."

Meanwhile, Prabowo launched the free medical check-up program in February 2025, designed as a preventive effort against various prevalent diseases in Indonesia.

The screening varies, from hormone deficiencies, congenital heart diseases, to examinations for nutrition, ears, eyes, and blood pressure. For adults and the elderly, the screening is focused onthe risk of stroke, heart diseases, cancer, as well as mental and physical condition.

Read: Prabowo Confident Indonesia's Economic Growth Will 'Surprise Many'

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