DPD RI Urges Health Ministry to Accelerate Deployment of Doctors and Health Workers in Southwest Papua

Sorong (ANTARA) – DPD RI member Hartono has urged the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to accelerate the programme of special deployment of medical personnel and health workers in the Southwest Papua region. According to him, the acceleration of the programme is needed to address vacancies for doctors and health workers at several community health clinics (puskesmas) and hospitals in districts/cities that cannot be filled through regional budgets (APBD) or the existing ASN quotas. Hartono said in Sorong on Friday, ‘Many health facilities in the region are in dire need of medical personnel. However, their filling is constrained by limited local budgets and the available ASN quotas.’ He has coordinated with the Acting Head of the Papua Barat Daya Health Office (Plt Dinkes Papua Barat Daya) regarding the region’s health workforce needs. ‘We from the DPD encourage the Ministry of Health to realise promptly the proposals from the Papua Barat Daya Provincial Health Office. This is important because as a region with special autonomy, Papua has health affirmations,’ Hartono said. The move is in line with the Health Ministry’s official letter PG.01.02/F/5382/2025, dated 15 December 2025, which instructs that the special deployment programme in Papua prioritises Papuan-born residents or Indigenous Papuans (OAP). The policy affirmation was based on the November 2025 regional coordination evaluation of Papua, with consideration that health personnel from the region can be more readily accepted by local communities and provide sustainable services in their homeland. In a letter addressed to the Governor of Southwest Papua, the Health Ministry also asked the local government to map the potential OAP health workers ready for deployment. Hartono said the data collection and coordination at the provincial level has been completed, and thus he expects the Health Ministry to proceed swiftly with the selection and placement of health workers in the region. ‘This is an opportunity for the regional government to utilise support from the central government to ensure public health services in the remote areas of Southwest Papua,’ Hartono said.