Newborn Health Problems in Indonesia That Are Often Discovered Through the Free Health Check Program

According to the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), approximately 20 million Indonesians have participated in free health checks (CKG) since the program's launch on February 10th to August 22nd, 2025.

This figure includes participants in the general CKG program and CKG in schools.

"Public participation demonstrates a growing awareness of the importance of routine health checkups, both for prevention and early detection," said Aji Muhawarman, Head of the Public Communication and Information Bureau of Kemenkes, in a press release on Friday (August 22nd, 2025).

To date, CKG has been implemented in 510 regencies/cities and 10,132 community health centers (puskesmas), through services available at health facilities, schools, and communities. On average, around 340,000 people participate in CKG daily.

In the newborn group, the most common health problem found through the CKG program is biliary tract disorders, with a proportion of 19.3%.

Furthermore, 6.1% of infants have low birth weight, and 5.9% have critical congenital heart disease.

According to Aji, these findings highlight the importance of early detection to prevent more serious health problems.

"With CKG, we can identify health conditions early on, so that preventive measures and interventions can be implemented more quickly," he said.