Health Ministry Temporarily Suspends PPDS Programme at RSUP Kandou Over Alleged Bullying

The Ministry of Health has instructed Prof. Dr. R.D. Kandou Central General Hospital in Manado to temporarily halt the Anaesthesiology Specialist Doctor Education Programme (PPDS) in response to alleged bullying against one of its participants. In a decree numbered HK.02.03/D.XV/5427/2026, Kandou Hospital President Director Starry Homenta Rampengan stated that the hospital is conducting an internal and integrated investigation together with the Faculty of Medicine at Sam Ratulangi University. “Temporarily suspending the learning activities of the Anaesthesiology Study Programme at Prof. Dr. R.D. Kandou Central General Hospital Manado until the handling of the alleged bullying is completed,” the letter stated. Director General of Advanced Healthcare at the Ministry of Health, Azhar Jaya, confirmed the matter is under serious attention. “Yes, this has become our concern. We have asked for it to be stopped and for an investigation to be carried out involving law enforcement officials,” Azhar Jaya said in Jakarta on Monday. Separately, Head of the Ministry of Health’s Communication and Public Information Bureau, Aji Muhawarman, said the case is currently under investigation by a joint team from the Ministry of Health, the Indonesian Medical Council, the Anaesthesiology College, and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. He clarified that while the investigation is ongoing, only the educational activities of the anaesthesiology programme at the hospital are suspended, not the programme itself. Activities will resume once the investigation team has concluded its findings. Reports in the media and on social media indicated that a participant in the programme, Dr. Adrian Rantung, was found dead in his boarding house, allegedly due to severe pressure.