Bill to open door to foreign doctors, but requirements strict
Bill to open door to foreign doctors, but requirements strict
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The bill on medical practice proposed by the House of
Representatives will enable foreign doctors to open private
clinics in Indonesia as a result of the liberalization of the
world's labor market, something that Indonesia has pledged itself
to.
The deputy chairman of the House's welfare commission, Sanoesi
Tambunan, said on Tuesday, however, that the bill had been drawn
up to protect local doctors from foreign competitors in the
domestic market.
"We have to prioritize doctors from our country. We won't
necessarily grant foreign doctors licenses (to open private
practices) if our own doctors can meet the demand," said Sanoesi.
He said the bill would protect local doctors by imposing
strict requirements for the obtaining of licenses by foreign
doctors.
"We can't close the door on globalization. Foreign doctors can
open private clinics in Indonesia, but they have to meet our
requirements," Sanoesi said.
The bill says the requirements will be determined by the
Indonesian Medical Council (KKI), which will also have the power
to issue licenses for foreign doctors or Indonesian citizens who
obtain their medical qualifications overseas.
Currently, it is common for foreign doctors to practice
medicine in international hospitals, multinational companies and
hotels.
Article 20 (2) of the bill spells out the requirements that
foreign doctors have to satisfy, and covers such issues as the
validity of their degrees, their suitability to practice
medicine, academic and professional competence, physical and
mental aptitude, and ethics.
Article 21 of the bill says a medical practitioner who meets
the requirements will be given a temporary registration
certificate which is valid for one year, but which can be renewed
for a further one year.
Data gathered by the Ministry of Health in 2001 shows that the
country had 26,917 medical practitioners, 15,428 of whom were
general physicians, 6,039 specialists and 5,450 dentists. As the
country produces only 2,000 fresh general practitioners and 200
new specialists every year, the opportunities for foreign doctors
to open private practices here are huge.
A former chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI),
Kartono Mohamad, welcomed the bill and suggested that no barriers
be erected to keep foreign doctors out.
"Local doctors should not worry about competition from foreign
rivals. They will motivate us to improve our medical standards to
regional and international levels," said Kartono.