663,000 Schoolchildren Experience High Blood Pressure
The Free Health Check Programme (CKG) has found hundreds of thousands of school-aged children in Indonesia suffering from high blood pressure. This finding is described as a new phenomenon that warrants vigilance.
Head of the Indonesian Communication Agency, Muhammad Qodari, stated that based on data from the CKG screening programme from 1 January to 3 May 2026, 22.1 per cent or around 663,000 out of 4.8 million children examined were recorded as having elevated blood pressure. The checks were carried out in 48,000 schools across Indonesia. “Goodness, the children already have high blood pressure? This is a new phenomenon,” Qodari said during his presentation at the Indonesian Communication Agency office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
Qodari assessed this finding as worrying because hypertension at an early age has the potential to develop into serious illnesses, including heart disorders. Without early detection, the condition could escape the attention of parents or school authorities.
He said he was surprised by the screening results. According to him, without the CKG programme, health issues in children, especially those without symptoms, would be difficult to detect. “If there were no CKG, we wouldn’t know. This needs to be analysed more deeply, why the children are already experiencing high blood pressure,” he stated.
The CKG programme is designed to expand access to health checks, particularly for children from low-income families who do not yet have a habit of routine examinations. The screenings are conducted through schools with support from community health centres. In addition to hypertension, the programme has also identified other health problems in children.
As many as 41 per cent of students have cavities, while 8.6 per cent of children were recorded as having earwax buildup. However, the high blood pressure finding has become the main focus because it is considered a new trend with long-term risks.
Overall, since its launch in 2025, the CKG programme has reached more than 100 million Indonesians. Nevertheless, that number only covers about a third of the national population.
Qodari emphasised that this finding must serve as an alarm for the government to strengthen early-age health interventions, including through education on healthy lifestyles and routine monitoring in school environments.