Health Ministry: Intern Doctor in Jambi Continued Working While Ill
The Ministry of Health has reported findings from the investigation into the death of Myta Aprilia Azmy, an intern doctor at RSUD KH Daud Arif in Kuala Tungkal, Jambi, who passed away on 1 May 2026. According to the chronology presented by the acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Health, Rudi Supriatna Nata Saputra, Myta was known to continue her duties in the emergency department (IGD) of the hospital while she was ill.
Myta first experienced fever, cough, and runny nose on 26 March 2026. She continued to carry out her duties while receiving self-treatment. However, her condition did not improve because she did not receive even a single day off.
Her complaints persisted on 31 March 2026, when she was still suffering from fever, cough, and runny nose and was on night duty,” said Rudi during a press conference at the Ministry of Health in Jakarta on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
After night duty, Myta requested an IV infusion. At that time, said Rudi, the deceased had not yet reported her condition to her supervising doctor. However, the next day, Myta began working and informed her fellow intern doctor with initials M about her illness via voice message.
According to Rudi, Myta’s health deteriorated again on 11-13 April 2026. On 13 April, Myta celebrated her birthday in the IGD while hooked up to an IV infusion because her body had weakened again after night duty. Then, on 15 April, Myta asked her colleague to cover her morning shift because her condition was worsening.
At that time, her family was unable to contact Myta and asked another doctor for help in finding her. Rudi stated that Myta was found standing under the stairs of her lodging in a dazed state. Rudi suspects Myta experienced hypoxia or a decrease in oxygen levels in her body cells because she still wanted to go to work in that condition.
“So she was not wearing a hijab, wearing shorts and a uniform top. After being asked by Doctor F, Doctor MAA replied that she wanted to go on duty,” he said.
Finally, from 15 April, Myta was treated at her workplace and was allowed to go home on the morning of 20 April 2026. However, the next day, Myta had a fever again and complained of shortness of breath, so her family took her to RSUD Raden Mattaher in Jambi, which is a three-hour land journey from Kuala Tungkal. For three days, Myta was treated there and then returned to RSUD KH Daud Arif to continue her internship on 24 April 2026.
Seeing Myta’s condition, her supervising doctor allowed her to rest. Her family then decided to take Myta home to Palembang and treat her at RSUP Dr Mohammad Hoesin in the infectious isolation ward on 27 April 2026. Myta was then admitted to the ICU because she required respiratory assistance as her condition continued to decline. Myta’s life could not be saved after being treated for several days in the ICU at Mohammad Hoesin Hospital.
“Due to lung impairment, her breathing was heavy, so she needed a breathing aid. So a ventilator was fitted around 4:00 PM. And Doctor MAA was treated in the ICU until she passed away,” said Rudi.
Rudi explained that the results of Myta’s medical check-up showed she was in good health when she first interned at Labkesmas Palembang I on 4 August 2025. Myta also had no health issues when she underwent internship rotations at Puskesmas Kuala Tungkal II from 11 August 2025 to 10 February 2026. She then continued her internship rotations at RSUD KH Daud Arif from 11 February 2026 in good health.
It was at that point that Myta began working beyond the maximum limits set by the Ministry of Health, which is 8 hours per day or a total of 40 hours per week, with tolerance up to 48 hours. The hospital divided intern doctors’ shifts in the IGD into two, each lasting 12 hours per day. The first shift from 08:00 to 20:00 WIB, and the second shift from 20:00 to 08:00 WIB.
The Director General of Human Resources for Health at the Ministry of Health, Yuli Farianti, revealed that Myta and other intern doctors at RSUD KH Daud Arif never received any days off. On weekends that should have been off, intern doctors still conducted patient ward visits, which should have been the responsibility of the attending doctors.
Yuli also stated that the hospital’s work system, which requires intern doctors to meet duty and performance targets, may have caused Myta to hesitate in requesting leave when ill. Because those who do not meet targets can face extended working periods (prolongation).
In response to this incident, the Ministry of Health is reinforcing work distribution and leave arrangements for intern doctors. The Ministry of Health mandates that training hospitals implement at least one day off per week and no longer allow a 20 percent tolerance from total weekly working hours. This means there are only two work patterns: 5 days per week with 8 hours per day or 6 days per week with 6-7 hours per day.