Intern Doctor Dies in Jambi, DPR Member Urges Investigative Audit

Jakarta, VIVA – A member of the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Commission IX from the PDIP faction, Pulung Agustanto, has expressed profound condolences over the death of Dr Myta Aprilia Azmy, a young medical professional undergoing an internship programme at RSUD KH Daud Arif in Kuala Tungkal, Jambi, some time ago.

Pulung condemned the alleged exploitation of workload that accompanied the doctor’s death.

“This incident is not merely a sorrowful news story, but a loud alarm that something is wrong in the management of medical personnel protection, where a humanitarian worker loses her life due to inhumane workload,” Pulung stated in a written remark on Monday, 4 May 2026.

Based on a report from the IKA FK Universitas Sriwijaya, Dr Myta is suspected of being forced to work beyond human physical limits. There are strong indications that she was on duty for three consecutive months without holidays in the ward and emergency department, often without supervision from a permanent doctor who should accompany interns.

According to the report, the condition peaked when Dr Myta was still required to perform night shifts despite her health being impaired with symptoms of high fever, shortness of breath, and oxygen saturation dropping to 80 percent.

“Assigning someone who is short of breath to duty is an illogical action. We are talking about human lives, not machines that can be forced to work non-stop,” Pulung emphasised.

Pulung recalled that the tragedy in Jambi adds to the long list of young doctors who have fallen while on duty in 2026. In his monitoring, there have been at least four cases of intern doctors who have died in various regions.

He noted that, besides at RSUD KH Daud Arif in Jambi, incidents resulting in the death of intern doctors also occurred at RSUD Pagelaran in Cianjur, RS Bhayangkara in Denpasar, and RSUD Soesilo Swali in Tegal.

According to Pulung, although the medical background of each case may differ, this string of young doctor deaths in close proximity is more than sufficient for the Ministry of Health to conduct a thorough investigative audit.

“We must find the root cause, whether it is a systemic problem, supervision failure, or a toxic work culture,” he added.