Doctor Shortage: Until When?

The shortage of doctors in Indonesia seems to be a never-ending lament, voiced not only by the public but also by the government. With a population of approximately 284 million, data from the Indonesian Health Council (KKI) as of 10 July 2026 shows there are 177,418 general practitioners and 60,009 specialists across 39 specialisations, alongside 46,118 dentists. The total number of doctors nationwide stands at 237,427, resulting in a ratio of just 0.8 doctors per 1,000 people. This is far below Malaysia’s 2.2 and Thailand’s 0.95 doctors per 1,000 population, meaning the country has yet to achieve the WHO-recommended ratio of 1 doctor per 1,000 people. To reach that target, Indonesia still needs approximately 47,000 more doctors.

However, given the uneven population distribution across the archipelago, this national ratio is not particularly meaningful. The distribution of doctors is highly skewed, with the majority concentrated on Java, which accounts for about 56 per cent of the population. Many people living in island regions and remote areas have never received medical care from a doctor due to geographical constraints. The country produces around 12,000 to 13,000 new doctors annually, suggesting the ratio could be met in three to four years. Yet, paradoxically, of the roughly 10,000 community health centres (puskesmas) nationwide, around 450 still lack a doctor, meaning about 5 per cent of these primary care facilities have no physician.

The placement of doctors, particularly general practitioners providing primary care at puskesmas, is fundamentally the authority of the central and regional governments. At the national level, the Ministry of Health holds control, while at the regional level, it falls to governors and regents or mayors. Medical faculties producing doctors are under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, necessitating close coordination between at least three ministries. During the New Order era in the late 1970s and 1980s, a presidential instruction programme successfully placed newly graduated doctors in puskesmas across the country, ensuring more equitable healthcare distribution. Those serving in Java worked for five years, outside Java for three years, and in difficult areas like East Timor for one year or less, after which they received priority for specialist education. Today, that system is gone, and new graduates must find jobs on their own, while specialist training requires hundreds of millions of rupiah in tuition fees.

In developed countries like Australia, specialist doctors are assigned to specific hospitals upon completing their education. In Indonesia, however, doctors and specialists must search for positions themselves, and specialists sent to regions often cannot practise their field due to a lack of facilities and equipment. It is time for proper coordination among stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with professional medical organisations. Without systemic improvements in placement and utilisation policies, the vision of a Golden Indonesia 2045 in the health sector risks remaining a mere aspiration.