Health Ministry Accelerates Distribution of Clinical Psychologists to Health Centres for Child Mental Health
Jakarta — The Ministry of Health has stated that through collaboration with professional colleges and universities, it is pursuing the equitable distribution of clinical psychologists in primary health centres (puskesmas) as an effort to strengthen the management and follow-up of mental health services for children and adolescents.
Director-General of Primary Health and Community Health Maria Endang Sumiwi said in Jakarta on Monday that currently, clinical psychologists are predominantly concentrated in three regions: Jakarta, Yoghyakarta, and Surabaya. Consequently, the Ministry is establishing regulations to encourage regions with the capacity to promptly equip their health centres with these professionals, given the high demand.
“However, with the Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB), we can collaborate with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. Schools have guidance and counselling teachers, which is why we need data protection. This joint decree is necessary to ensure confidentiality is maintained,” she said.
Endang noted that the availability of health centre staff is currently limited, making counselling less effective. Therefore, through a joint decree involving nine ministries and agency heads, teachers will be equipped with guidance and counselling competencies.
“We are not just seeking to place clinical psychologists in health centres but also to work upstream. The Health Minister mentioned positive parenting. Positive parenting begins by having parents first evaluate themselves,” she said.
The Ministry has held further discussions with the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection and the Ministry of Population and Family Development to implement a joint promotional-preventive approach.
Additionally, the joint decree details collaborative management approaches, such as working with the Social Ministry—for example, when identifying children at risk of suicide who also want to attend school and excel academically.
“Then we link this with the Social Ministry and community schools. So this is actually a mental health issue, but it turns out to require social support,” she said.