Health Minister Affirms Internship Doctors' Working Hours: 40 Hours per Week, 8 Hours per Day

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has affirmed that working hours for internship doctors are 40 hours per week or eight hours per day.

The minister made this statement during a press conference on the investigation into the death of Myta Aprilia Azmy, an internship doctor and graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Sriwijaya (Unsri), suspected to be due to overwork.

“It is 40 hours per week and must be eight hours per day for five working days, or if six working days, then 40 divided by six days is around six to almost seven hours. The key point is that it must not exceed 40 hours,” Budi said at the Ministry of Health office in Jakarta on Thursday (7/5/2026).

“Whether for co-assistants, interns, or specialist training participants, there must be no more bullying, extortion, or coercion. That must end,” Budi stressed.

On that occasion, he also clarified that the presence of internship doctors is not to replace organic doctors.

“What is happening now is that when an intern arrives, the existing doctors there do not need to show up, and the intern does the work. That is not allowed. Because the principle for internship doctors is that they must be supervised; they cannot be used as replacements for organic doctors,” Budi emphasised.

Previously reported, Myta Aprilia Azmy’s death drew public attention because it was suspected to be related to excessive workload during her internship programme as a doctor at RS KH Daud Arif, Tungkal, Jambi, since August 2025.

The victim was treated in the ICU at RSUP Dr. Mohammad Hoesin (RSMH) in Palembang before passing away on Friday (1/5/2026).

Moreover, the victim was allegedly still required to work despite reporting illness, and was even scheduled for night shifts while experiencing shortness of breath and high fever.