Govt agrees on medical council<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House's health commission made some progress in its
\ndeliberation of the medical practice bill on Monday by approving
\na role for the medical council in registering general
\npractitioners and dentists.<\/p>\n
Mariani Reksoprodjo, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,
\nsaid the House legislators initially proposed that the council
\nregister medical workers.<\/p>\n
\"However, all finally agreed that the definition of medical
\nworkers would also cover general practitioners and dentists,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government had previously opposed this. Currently,
\nregistration is carried out by the health ministry, which is also
\nauthorized to issue practice licenses for newly qualified
\ndoctors.<\/p>\n
The House initiated bill also gives the council the authority
\nto set professional standards for doctors\/dentists, formulate
\npolicy directions for medical science, and conduct supervision
\nover medical practices.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi insisted that the job of
\nsetting educational standards for doctors and dentists be given
\nto their respective professional associations.<\/p>\n
The task of formulating policy directions could be managed by
\nthe ministry's science and technology commission.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sujudi said the task of supervising medical
\npractices should be reserved to the professional organizations.<\/p>\n
The government originally proposed limiting the role of the
\nmedical council to only providing advice to the government on
\npolicies related to the practice of medicine.<\/p>\n
It was also prepared to allow the medical council to
\nsynchronize regulations so as to improve the quality of the
\ncountry's health service.<\/p>\n
Last week, however, the country's medical associations and
\nlegislators demanded that the medical council be established as
\nan independent body in order to protect the public interest.<\/p>\n
\"This is in line with the bill on the principles of medical
\npractice, which are to protect the people, to provide guidelines
\nfor doctors and to strengthen medical institutions and
\nassociations,\" Indonesian Doctors Association chairman Farid
\nAnfasa Moeloek told a hearing with House members.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-agrees-on-medical-council-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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