Ministry of Health: Medical audit and internship regulation revisions protect participants and patients
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health states that the medical audit related to patient care, namely dr. Myta Aprilia Azmi, and comprehensive improvements to the governance of the doctor internship programme are efforts to ensure protection for internship participants and patient safety in healthcare services.
“All patients, especially healthcare workers tasked with treating patients, must receive good medical care. Therefore, we will conduct a professional medical audit through the professional disciplinary council together with relevant professional organisations,” said Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono in Jakarta on Friday.
He explained that the medical audit is conducted confidentially in accordance with ethical and professional provisions. If any discrepancies in medical actions are found during the audit process, there will be consequences in accordance with applicable rules.
In addition, the Deputy Minister emphasised that the government will also improve the internship implementation system so that participants can still learn well without losing protection in terms of health, occupational safety, or welfare.
“We want the internship governance to be improved so that it does not disadvantage any party. Participants can still learn well and receive financial, economic, and health protection,” he added.
In agreement, the Director General of Health Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, dr. Yuli Farianti, emphasised that the Ministry of Health is committed to presenting a safer, more humane internship system that optimally supports participants’ learning processes.
“The internship programme must be a healthy professional learning process, not burdening physically or mentally,” she said.
In these improvements, the Ministry of Health stipulates that internship participants’ working hours are a maximum of 40 hours per week without allowing compaction or additional hours. Duty implementation must also be under the supervision of an accompanying doctor and is not permitted to replace the role of organic doctors at healthcare facilities.
In addition, participants who are unable to attend duty schedules are no longer required to be replaced by other participants to prevent excessive workloads.
The amount of Living Cost Assistance for internship participants is also continuously adjusted. Currently, the assistance is adjusted based on regional categories, ranging from Rp3.2 million to Rp6.5 million for remote, border, and island areas (DTPK). Some regional governments even provide additional incentives beyond the assistance.
“Internship participants are young doctors undergoing professional adaptation. Therefore, the state must be present to ensure they receive protection, guidance, and adequate welfare support,” said dr. Yuli.
Other improvements include granting 10 days of leave without the obligation to replace days as long as competency targets are met, strengthening the role of supervisors and the Provincial Indonesian Doctor Internship Committee (KIKI) in monitoring participants’ health and routine evaluations, as well as developing a two-way complaint channel accessible to participants and their families.
The Ministry of Health will also strengthen the evaluation system for venues and supervisors through a rating-based assessment mechanism to ensure the quality of learning and the work environment for internship participants remains maintained.
“In the future, evaluations of internship implementation will be conducted periodically and continuously. We want to ensure that every internship participant obtains a supportive, professional learning environment that upholds healthcare worker safety,” she said.