A total of 297 repeat examinees of the National Competency\nExamination for Medical Profession Students (UKNPDPD) have been\ndeactivated from their status as medical profession programme students\nas of May 2026. They hail from 30 medical faculties across various\nuniversities and were declared to have exceeded the maximum study period\nwithout successfully passing the competency exam.<\/p>\n
The policy is stipulated in the Director General of Higher\nEducation\u2019s Letter Number 337\/DST\/B.B2\/DT\/02.00\/2026 concerning the List\nof Students Exceeding Study Period as of May 2026, issued on 15 May\n2026. The data on the deactivated students was presented by Health\nMinister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a working meeting of House\nCommission IX with the Health Minister and the Minister of Higher\nEducation, Science, and Technology on Monday (8\/6\/2026).<\/p>\n
Minister Budi stated that Indonesia is projected to face a doctor\nshortage until 2032. With an estimated need for approximately 255,420\ndoctors, the country is expected to have only 162,220 doctors by that\nyear. This projection is based on empirical modelling that accounts for\nepidemiological burdens and estimated healthcare workforce needs over a\n10-year horizon, incorporating discussions with medical colleges and\ncorrection factors from population patterns and disease burdens, without\naccelerating doctor production. \u201cSo we really need doctors,\u201d Budi\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that Indonesia also faces issues with the competency exam.\nBased on reports from participants, he noted that thousands of repeat\nexaminees have yet to pass. According to UKMPPD exam reports from 2016\nto 2024, 2,623 repeat examinees did not pass the competency exam. Of\nthese, 37 percent had taken the exam more than three times and have been\nfollowed up by the Ministry of Higher Education. \u201cAnd there are around\n297 who, if they fail one more time, will lose their right to graduate.\nSo this is a problem we are hearing from the field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Budi proposed that medical faculties with high numbers of repeat\nexaminees or pending graduates should have their admission quotas\nreviewed. \u201cIf a faculty produces many graduates with a Bachelor of\nMedicine degree but they repeatedly fail the competency exam, then its\nquota should be reduced until they can genuinely improve their education\nquality,\u201d he stated. He also suggested that faculties provide guidance\nfor repeat examinees by involving the Medical College.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Budi proposed substance-based remediation, allowing\nrepeat examinees to retake only the specific exam components they\nfailed. For example, if a student passed 8 out of 10 exam subjects, the\nretake would only cover the 2 failed subjects. \u201cWe are also discussing\nwith the Indonesian Health Council whether it is possible to only\nremediate the competencies that were not passed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Regarding complaints that repeat examinees must continue paying\ntuition fees while waiting for the next exam despite having completed\ntheir studies, Budi recommended waiving these fees. Deputy Minister of\nHigher Education Fauzan confirmed that the Director General had issued a\nletter instructing universities not to charge tuition fees if no further\nlearning process is taking place and the student is merely awaiting the\nnext competency exam schedule. Fauzan added that universities have the\noption to offer students a transfer to another study programme using\ntheir Bachelor of Medicine degree if they are unable to complete the\nprofessional programme. A letter from the Director of Learning and\nStudent Affairs to deans and a letter from the Director General of\nHigher Education to rectors in May 2026 also warned of sanctions for\nuniversities failing to implement the provided solutions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/297-medical-students-deactivated-after-failing-competency-exam-1781495489", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }