Ministry of Health Uncovers Alleged Manipulation of Intern Doctors' Working Hours
The Ministry of Health has uncovered allegations of work schedule manipulation in the case of the death of intern doctor Myta Aprilia Azmy at RSUD KH Daud Arif in Kualatungkal, Jambi, on 1 May 2026.
Acting Inspector General of the Ministry of Health, Rudi Supriatna Nata Saputra, stated that the manipulation was allegedly carried out by a supervising doctor with initials J to cover up working hour violations linked to Myta’s death.
“We found an attempt by the supervisor to manipulate the attendance presence schedule of internship participants,” said Rudi during a press conference at the Ministry of Health in Jakarta on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
During the press conference, the Ministry of Health displayed screenshots of messages from doctor J requesting an intern doctor to change the April 2026 attendance recapitulation. The message was sent on 29 April 2026, while Myta was being treated at Mohammad Hoesin University Hospital in Palembang.
Based on regulations at RSUD KH Daud Arif, intern doctors in the emergency department (IGD) work in two shifts, each lasting 12 hours per day—namely from 08:00 to 20:00 WIB and 20:00 to 08:00 WIB. This scheme is deemed to violate Ministry of Health provisions that limit maximum working hours to 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week, with tolerance up to 48 hours.
According to WhatsApp conversation evidence, doctor J instructed that the work schedule be changed to three shifts to make it appear not to exceed the regulated limits. Rudi also mentioned that the attendance recapitulation was signed by one of the internship participants on the orders of the supervising doctor.
“In that conversation, it was also mentioned that this change was done for the purposes of the Ministry of Health’s examination, as if creating a chronology to make it look safe,” said Rudi.
In addition to allegations of data manipulation, the Ministry of Health’s investigation found that the hospital allegedly violated provisions by handing over full patient handling to intern doctors without supervision from organic doctors. This condition often occurs, especially during night shifts, when organic doctors are not present.
According to Rudi, such practices contradict the objectives of the internship programme, which places young doctors under supervision. “Without guidance, there is a risk of errors in patient handling in the emergency department,” he said.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that these findings will be followed up through a medical audit by the Professional Discipline Council. The audit is targeted to be completed within a week.
According to Budi, the audit is necessary to assess the professionalism of RSUD KH Daud Arif in implementing the internship programme and to determine appropriate sanctions. “It’s better to wait for the results of the medical audit to see the actual status,” he said.
The Indonesian Federation of Medical and Health Workers’ Unions (FSPKMI) has also highlighted the workload issue in this case. FSPKMI General Chairman Roy Tanda Anugrah Sihotang assessed that the incident must be taken seriously, especially by government-owned hospitals in implementing labour regulations.
“Including working hours, overtime, leave, and other labour norms,” said Roy in a written statement on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
FSPKMI urges the government, particularly the Ministry of Health, to implement labour provisions in accordance with Government Regulation Number 35 of 2021. In that regulation, working hours are limited to a maximum of 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day.
Roy emphasised that these provisions must also apply to intern doctors. He assessed that intern doctors are entitled to leave, including menstrual leave for women, as well as overtime policies based on worker consent.
“All these labour norms must be included in the internship work agreement between the hospital and the intern doctors,” he said.