Government Drafts Presidential Regulation on Health Worker Protection Following Doctor's Death

The government is drafting a Presidential Regulation on the security and safety of medical and health workers to strengthen existing regulations, responding to the results of an investigation into the case of the late Dr. Eliza Priscila Utami Pakaen. Director General of Health Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, Yuli Farianti, stated in Jakarta on Saturday (4/7) that the field investigation into the case of Dr. Eliza, familiarly known as Dr. Icha, revealed three main findings: alleged verbal intimidation by a member of the public, medical handling that was actually in accordance with procedures, and weak coordination for the protection of health workers between health service facilities, the Health Office, and the local government. “Based on Article 273 of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health, health workers have the right to stop providing services if they experience violence, harassment, or bullying, except in life-saving emergency situations. No doctor should ever feel afraid while on duty,” Yuli said. The case of Dr. Icha occurred in North Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, last June. Dr. Icha was found dead by suicide, allegedly due to depression resulting from intimidation by a member of the North Central Timor Regency Regional House of Representatives. On that occasion, Yuli also expressed her deepest condolences over the passing of Dr. Icha, stating that this incident must serve as a momentum to strengthen protection for all medical personnel in Indonesia. The investigation, she said, was carried out on the instructions of the Minister of Health and at the request of the Governor of East Nusa Tenggara. The team worked together with the Indonesian Medical Association of NTT, the Indonesian Medical Council, and the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Home Affairs. “All findings will be handed over to the police because the case has entered the criminal investigation stage,” she said. The Acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Health, Rudi Supriatna, added that his team had taken statements from various parties, ranging from the doctor on duty, the nurse who witnessed the incident in the Leona Hospital emergency room, colleagues, to the deceased’s parents in Kupang. Rudi also highlighted the passivity of hospital security officers during the incident. “At the time of the incident in the emergency room, the security officers were passive and made no effort to control the situation. Yet the emergency room is a restricted area with strict SOPs. Unauthorised persons are prohibited from entering so as not to disrupt the concentration of health workers handling critical patients,” he said. To prevent similar incidents, the Ministry of Health urges the public to channel any dissatisfaction with services through the official Halo Kemenkes hotline at 1500-567 and to refrain from intimidating field personnel. “The Ministry of Health has also opened a Whistleblowing System channel that can be accessed by all health workers in Indonesia who experience bullying or threats to their work safety,” he concluded.