Hospital-based program aims to fix Indonesia's specialist shortage
With 58 regional doctors participating, the initiative aims to support the government’s plan to install modern medical facilities in 514 districts and cities by 2027.
“The only drawback is the number of doctors and, especially, their distribution. Therefore, the establishment of this hospital-based program is considered the most effective way to distribute doctors,” he remarked on Wednesday.
The Minister noted that the hospital-based model is the most effective way to improve doctor distribution. By selecting participants based on regional healthcare needs rather than social status or affiliation, the program ensures equitable access for local youth.
Furthermore, these professionals are paid during their training, shifting the paradigm from students paying tuition to specialists being compensated for their expertise.
“This is an initial transformation that shifts the paradigm that specialist doctors are not students, not people who have to pay tuition. They are professionals being trained to become more proficient in their fields,” the minister emphasized.
On the same occasion, the ministry’s Director General of Advanced Healthcare, Azhar Jaya, noted that Indonesia is still lacking around 92,000 more general practitioners, around 129,000 dentists, and around 51,000 specialists.
“The current number of participants in the hospital-based program is 58, consisting of 10 in pediatrics, 10 in ophthalmology, 12 in neurology, 10 in cardiology and vascular medicine, 10 in orthopedics and traumatology, and 6 in radiation oncology,” Jaya explained.
He conveyed that these doctors will later be assigned to various regions outside Java.
“There will be 18 doctors assigned to Sumatra, three to Bangka Belitung, 12 to Kalimantan, six to Sulawesi, six to Maluku, six to Papua, and seven to East Nusa Tenggara,” he continued.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Resinta Sulistiyandari