Free Health Check Coverage in Sumbawa Reaches 41.15 Per Cent
Sumbawa (ANTARA) – The Sumbawa District Health Office in West Nusa Tenggara has recorded coverage of 41.15 per cent for the Free Health Check (CKG) programme, approaching the minimum target of 46 per cent of the population set by the government for 2026.
Sumbawa District Health Office head H Sarip Hidayat said the office was continuing to expand the programme’s reach to make up the 4.85 percentage-point shortfall by the end of the year.
“CKG coverage in Sumbawa District has now reached 41.15 per cent. This means there is still work to do to meet the government’s target of at least 46 per cent of the total population this year,” Sarip said in Sumbawa on Monday.
He said one strategy to increase the number of people receiving health checks was to take services to them, deploying health workers directly to villages and remote hamlets.
The approach is intended to spare residents from having to travel to community health centres or other health facilities, particularly those living in areas with difficult transport links and terrain, he said.
“We do not simply wait for people to come to health facilities. Our staff go out to villages and hamlets, particularly in remote and very remote areas,” he said.
The initiative is also part of the local government’s effort to address disparities in access to healthcare between urban residents and people in rural areas.
Sarip acknowledged that geography was one of the challenges to expanding CKG coverage, as some residents had to travel considerable distances to reach health facilities.
“If we only wait for people to come to health facilities, it will be difficult, especially for those living in areas with poor access and challenging terrain. That is why our staff need to go directly to them,” he said.
Alongside expanding services, the Sumbawa Health Office is using the CKG programme to detect communicable and non-communicable diseases early in the community.
Sarip said examinations include physical checks and assessments of eye, ear, dental and oral health, as well as screening for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
“Hypertension and diabetes are the most common conditions found through CKG examinations, particularly among people of working age, from their twenties to their sixties,” he said.
Health workers also screen for tuberculosis (TB) among people showing symptoms, such as a persistent cough lasting more than two weeks, weight loss and reduced appetite.
He added that regular health checks were important so people could understand their health earlier and receive prompt treatment for any conditions detected.
Sarip therefore urged residents to make use of CKG services, either by visiting health facilities or taking part in screening activities conducted by health workers in villages and hamlets.
“We encourage people to take the initiative and get a free health check, including when staff go out into the community. These examinations are important for finding out about their health earlier,” Sarip said.