Abidin Fikri Earns Doctorate with Dissertation on Medical Personnel Distribution

Deputy Chair of House Commission VIII Abidin Fikri has earned a Doctor of Law degree from Borobudur University in Jakarta after defending his dissertation on the equitable distribution of medical personnel to achieve justice in Indonesia’s health services. “The disparity in the distribution of medical personnel creates real injustice in access to health services and potentially contradicts the principles of social justice and the right to health guaranteed by the constitution,” said Abidin in his written statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. During an open doctoral session in Jakarta on Monday (8/6), Abidin was declared the 399th graduate of the Borobudur University Postgraduate Law Programme with a Grade Point Average of 3.97, completed within a study period of 2 years and 3 months. The doctoral session was chaired with promoter Faisal Santiago and co-promoter Ahmad Redi. In his dissertation titled “Reconstruction of Regulations for the Equitable Distribution of Medical Personnel Towards Public Health That Is Beneficial and Just”, Abidin highlighted the persistent imbalance in the distribution of medical personnel across various regions, especially in remote, border, and outermost island areas. He stated that this issue remains a major challenge in realising equal access to health services for all Indonesian people. Based on data utilised in his research, of the 10,195 community health centres (puskesmas) in existence in 2024, as many as 345 puskesmas were still operating without a doctor. Meanwhile, only 6,133 puskesmas had met the standard for nine types of healthcare workers. Abidin assessed that this condition demonstrates a gap in access to health services between urban areas and remote regions, even though the health budget allocation continues to increase. As a solution, Abidin proposed a legal reconstruction of Article 231 of Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health through the addition of Paragraph (1a) to strengthen the central government’s role in managing the national distribution of medical personnel. The proposal encompasses four main aspects: centralised recruitment of medical personnel based on digital data, the provision of affirmative incentives, legal protection, and welfare guarantees for medical personnel serving in remote areas. According to him, this step is necessary to build a more integrated and just national health system in accordance with the constitutional mandate. On that occasion, Borobudur University Rector Bambang Bernanthos expressed appreciation for Abidin Fikri’s academic achievement. He expressed hope that Abidin’s research results could contribute to the development of national health policy. “This scientific contribution is an important part of strengthening the role of academics and policymakers in addressing the challenges of national health development,” said Bambang. A number of national figures also attended the session, including Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly Bambang Wuryanto and Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction in the House Utut Adianto.