House, government slash Medical Council members to seven

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta

The House of Representatives and the government have agreed to slash the number of members of the planned Medical Council from the original 25 to seven, and to recruit a public figure to the body.

The agreement was reached during the deliberation of the bill on medical practice on Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by the House of Representatives, had proposed that the council would have 25 members, of which 15 would be doctors, with four representatives from the Ministry of Health, four from the Ministry of National Education, and two public representatives.

The government, on the other hand, had insisted that the council comprise seven members and be restricted to doctors and Ministry of Health representatives -- arguing that more members would mean a larger budget.

After a two-day delay, the parties agreed on Thursday to compromise.

The House agreed that the council would comprise only seven members, while the government agreed that the council should allow public participation.

Government advisor Abdul Gani said on Thursday that the council would comprise of seven people, one from the Ministry of Health, one from the Ministry of National Education, one doctor, one educator, one scholar, one hospital representative and one public representative.

Deputy chairman of House Commission VII for population and welfare Achmad Sanoesi Tambunan, said the House was satisfied with the result.

"The issue is not whether the council will comprise 25 or seven members, but whether the public will have a say in it. So as long as the public is involved in the council, we're satisfied with the outcome," said Sanoesi.

The council will comprise a chairman, deputy chairman and five members, with a secretary-general outside the council.

"The secretary-general would not be a member of the council. They would be a representative of the government and would be responsible for administrative issues, such as maintaining the condition of the council's office," said Abdul.

The seven members would be appointed by the President.

In carrying out their duties, members from the government would have to relinquish their ministerial positions to avoid a conflict of interests.

Members, excluding the public representative, would be required to have 10 years of experience as a medical practitioner, and be between 40 years and 60 years old. While members would serve a five-year term, should they be renominated, they could only serve one additional term.

Both parties agreed that the council's expenses would be covered by the state budget.

The House, with three more meetings to go, expects deliberations to be completed by next Thursday.