DPR member proposes health scholarship recipients serve in 3T regions

Jakarta (ANTARA) - DPR member Anna Mu’awanah has proposed that LPDP health scholarship recipients be assigned to serve in remote, border, and outermost regions (3T) after completing their studies. Anna Mu’awanah stated in Jakarta on Monday that the proposal aims to address healthcare workforce disparities between Java and other regions. She noted that regional disparities in healthcare professionals remain a serious issue, with many regional hospitals lacking sufficient doctors. ‘Hospitals are easy to build, but recruiting doctors is extremely difficult,’ Anna said during a Commission XI DPR hearing in Jakarta on Monday. She highlighted that many healthcare workers request transfers after becoming civil servants, despite prior commitments to serve for a set period. This, she said, hinders equitable human development. Therefore, Anna hopes LPDP will design a scheme that not only produces high-quality human resources but also ensures professionals are deployed to areas in need. She proposed that LPDP scholarship recipients commit to working in 3T regions for several years post-graduation. ‘Our hope is for LPDP’s scheme to contribute not just to producing skilled professionals but also to equitable distribution. Could there be a commitment for them to serve in 3T regions for a certain number of years?’ Anna said. She also called for government evaluation of the assignment process to ensure scholarship recipients fulfil their service obligations in assigned regions. In response, acting LPDP Director General Yon Arsal said the agency is strengthening long-term national talent management in line with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). The finance ministry’s BLU entity is now not only sending scholarship recipients for education but also ensuring graduates are placed in strategic national priority areas. ‘We are not just sending people to study, but also aligning their fields with government needs for strategic sectors. Where possible, graduates are directed to areas where the nation requires them,’ he added.