Limited number of doctors accepted as civil servants<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 2,000 doctors who have dedicated their
\nservices to the public were denied entry into the civil service
\nwhen the Ministry of Health limited recruitment to 300 this year.<\/p>\n
A statement from the ministry's public relations office dated
\nAug. 30, made available to The Jakarta Post yesterday, said
\nexaminations were conducted last week to select 300 doctors out
\nof the 2,400 who registered.<\/p>\n
Under a ministerial decree issued in 1991, the government
\nrequires all graduates of medical school to undergo a three-year
\nperiod of compulsory service, known as PTT (Pegawai Tidak Tetap),
\nin small towns and remote places across the country as a way of
\nbetter distributing health services.<\/p>\n
In the past, these doctors would automatically be recruited
\ninto the civil service and work for the Ministry of Health after
\ncompleting the compulsory service period of two to five years.<\/p>\n
Through the 1991 decree, instead of two to five years, the
\ncompulsory service was shortened to three years and their
\nsalaries hiked in line with the new system under which not
\neveryone will be recruited into the civil service.<\/p>\n
The statement said that for the 1994-1995 fiscal year, the
\nMinistry of Administrative Reforms has ruled that the Ministry of
\nHealth will recruit only 300 new doctors from the PTT program
\nbecause of limited funds.<\/p>\n
Although the program has already sent five successive groups
\nas of August, the announcement said the positions available were
\nonly open to the first and second groups.<\/p>\n
Participants from the third group who also took the
\nexaminations, would be posted according to further requirements
\nin 1995-1996, the announcement said.<\/p>\n
Positions in the civil service remain at a premium because
\nthey offer the possibility of a government scholarship for
\ndoctors who undertake special fields.<\/p>\n
The first group consists of 924 doctors, the second group 864,
\nthe third group 597, the fourth group 804 and the fifth group 808
\nphysicians. According to the announcement, at least 200 new
\nmedical school graduates have registered for the sixth group of
\nthe program.<\/p>\n
Remote places<\/p>\n
The PTT program requires doctors to work in remote places
\nacross the country, which can be categorized into normal, remote
\nand very remote places.<\/p>\n
Those placed in normal locations, meaning that the trip from
\nthe community health centers (Puskesmas) to the province's
\ncapital is less than 12 hours, earn a monthly salary of Rp
\n575,000 (US$265) while those in remote locations, where the trip
\nis between 24 to 36 hours with \"relatively high risks\" and where
\ngeneral foodstuffs cost twice the normal price, earn Rp 977,500
\nper month.<\/p>\n
Those in very remote locations, where the trip is between 24
\nto 36 hours with \"very high risks\", where transportation can be
\npotentially cut off completely at certain times of the year and
\ncommunication is hard to come by or non existent, earn Rp
\n1,207,500 per month.<\/p>\n
The government has offered several alternatives to PTT doctors
\nwho fail the civil service exams, including becoming civil
\nservants at ministries other than the Ministry of Health;
\nbecoming employees of private and state companies; participating
\nin specialization courses on a self-funding basis; and working or
\ncontinuing studies abroad.(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/limited-number-of-doctors-accepted-as-civil-servants-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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