A total of 300 residents from Getas Village, Kradenan District, Blora Regency, Central Java Province, participated in a health checkup event organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in collaboration with the Pertamina Foundation.
The health checkups were conducted at the Getas Village Hall on Wednesday (Feb. 26). They covered general health screenings and laboratory tests, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, hemoglobin (HB), and dental checkups.
The community service initiative, led by the Socio-Economic Empowerment Program of the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM) Empowerment Team, also featured a national religious lecture by Gus Muwafiq.
This religious lecture was held to welcome the holy month of Ramadan for the Getas community.
The Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, warmly welcomed the health checkups and religious lecture event.
He mentioned that both activities were part of UGM’s commitment, together with the community and partners, to maintain health awareness.
“Health awareness through community participation is essential, as a healthy community will foster economic empowerment, and there will be sustainable environmental management that supports community health,” he stated.
Dr. Sujito expressed his happiness as both activities received positive responses from the local community, village government, mass organizations, women’s groups, and others.
He hoped that, in the long term, similar events could involve more UGM faculty members, who are expected to support long-term governmental work.
“These health checkups are part of the community’s response, as many are reportedly unwell. This is a challenge for universities to continue hosting such programs. We always hope to network with the community here and establish partnerships that encourage local governments to give more attention to public health issues,” the vice-rector explained.
Yuanita from UGM’s Gadjah Mada Medical Center (GMC) Clinic, who was involved in this event, stated that in addition to health checkups, the community was also provided with education.
After patients completed general or laboratory checkups, they were directed to consult with doctors.
“We explain the laboratory results, such as if blood pressure or cholesterol levels are high, and provide medication for treatment,” she explained.
Yuanita noted that the checkup results indicated that many elderly individuals were suspected of having high blood pressure and cholesterol. Some were also found to have high blood sugar levels.
“Therefore, we emphasized lifestyle management, especially in terms of diet, avoiding stress, and other related issues,” she explained further.
Yuanita mentioned that many Getas Village residents still believed that working was equivalent to exercising. However, she clarified that the two were not the same.
“We explained to the community that exercise requires warm-ups and involves varied movements. While people may move their bodies during work, the movements tend to be repetitive. This differs from exercise, which involves more varied physical activities. That’s the kind of education we provided during the checkups. At this event, we also offered healthy packages, including milk, biscuits, and iron supplements specifically for pregnant women and the elderly,” she added.
Budi Prayitno, Secretary of Getas Village, appreciated the health checkup event. He said it helped Getas residents monitor their health without visiting a nearby community health center (Puskesmas).
“This social service in the form of health checkups is the first and largest event we’ve had. Previously, the target was 350 participants, according to information from the Posyandu volunteers. We hope this can be done regularly in the future. It is very helpful because residents can check their health without going far,” he stated.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya