Ministry of Health Suspends 10,564 Intern Doctors for Health Screenings
The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has temporarily relieved 10,564 participants of the Indonesian Doctor Internship Programme, or medical interns, of their duties to undergo comprehensive health examinations. This step was taken following six cases of deaths among internship participants throughout 2026, all of which have been audited and investigated by a joint team.
The Director General of Health Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, Yuli Farianti, stated that the ministry will conduct thorough health checks for the 10,564 participants currently serving across Indonesia. The examinations will include medical check-ups (MCU), physical examinations, laboratory tests, and mental health screenings.
“To support the implementation of these screenings, all internship participants will be temporarily relieved of their duties from 30 July to 14 August 2026,” Yuli said in a written statement released on Friday (31/7). During this period, participants will focus on undergoing health examinations until all evaluation results are finalised.
The results of these examinations will serve as the basis for assessing the participants’ health status, alongside an evaluation of their competency achievements through logbooks. Participants who have met the competency targets and are declared healthy may complete the internship programme without an extension of their service period.
In addition to health screenings, the Ministry of Health is also strengthening the mentoring system for internship participants. Yuli noted that communication between participants, supervising doctors, medical facilities, the Indonesian Medical Internship Committee (KIKI), local governments, and the Ministry of Health is a vital factor in the early detection of various issues faced by participants.
“The closest person to an intern is their supervising doctor. Therefore, communication must function effectively so that any health conditions or obstacles faced by participants can be promptly identified and addressed,” she said.
Improvements to the governance of the Internship Programme have been implemented through the Decree of the Minister of Health Number HK.01.07/Menkes/594/2026 regarding the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Doctor and Dentist Internship Programme. This regulation introduces several measures to strengthen participant protection, including a maximum working limit of 40 hours per week without compressed working hours, regulated duty schedules, sick leave provisions, more intensive mentoring, complaint mechanisms, and sanctions for facilities or supervisors who fail to comply with the regulations.
The Acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Health, Rudi Supriatna Nata Saputra, stated that various recommendations from previous investigations have been incorporated into the new regulation. However, evaluations of recent cases indicate that field implementation still requires continuous strengthening. “We are constantly conducting evaluations to ensure that the improved governance is consistently implemented so that similar incidents do not recur,” he said.